Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, visiting the Black Sea port of Odesa, have vowed to improve Ukraine's air defences and to increase the security of a "humanitarian corridor" for grain exports.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was working to strengthen its position in the Black sea so that it can continue grain exports, which are vital to ensuring budget revenues following a surge in defence spending following Russia's invasion last year.
"Today we had a busy day in your beautiful city of Odesa, which was dedicated to global and security issues," Zelenskiy told a joint press conference with Rutte.
"We are working with partners to protect properly these corridors, and strengthen our positions in the Black Sea, and it also applies to the protection of Odesa's skies and in the region as a whole..."
The Odesa region has came under frequent Russian missile and drone attacks, and Zelenskiy and Rutte visited a damaged port.
In August, Ukraine announced a new humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea following Russia's withdrawal from a deal allowing the safe export of grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
It has sought safe shipping routes as air strikes inflicted damage on its port and grain export infrastructure near the Black sea and on the Danube River.
Zelenskiy described the air strikes as "vile tactics" and thanked Rutte for a new air defence package which would include missiles for Patriot air defence systems.
The Netherlands has provided Ukraine with financial aid and weapons during the war, and has led efforts to help train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
Rutte, speaking through an interpreter, said the Netherlands would also provide Ukraine with patrol ships.
Ukraine's humanitarian corridor was initially announced to release ships that do not carry grain, were not covered by the grain deal and had been trapped in port for more than a year but vessels seeking to load grain have also used the corridor.
Experts estimate that about 20 ships have entered the corridor for loading grain.
Zelenskiy also said Ukraine was nearing an agreement with some partners on insurance for ships using the corridor but gave no details.
"We are very close to that already," he said.
A Ukrainian intelligence source said on Friday that Ukraine struck a Russian missile carrier and a patrol ship in separate attacks this week involving sea-borne drones carrying experimental weapons.
The source gave no details of the damage but said the Buyan missile carrier was attacked on Friday and the Pavel Derzhavin missile carrier was attacked on Wednesday in joint operations carried out by the Ukrainian Security Service and naval forces.
"After the first detonation, Russian minesweepers and divers were unable to discover our know-how," the source told Reuters.
"The Buyan missile carrier... was struck today on the Sevastopol route by experimental weapons on 'Sea Babies' (naval drones)."
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports independently.
Ukraine has launched several successful missile and naval drone attacks on Russia's Black Sea fleet in and around Crimea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Ukrainian officials have said such attacks are intended to deny Russia control of the Black Sea and regain control of vital shipping routes.
In a separate statement, Ukraine's Special Operation Forces said they had on Friday morning blown up a railway line in the Russian-occupied southeastern city of Melitopol.
"As a result of the explosion, the railway track and the train delivering ammunition and fuel to Russia's army was damaged," the special forces said.
