Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has begun a two-day visit to Turkey, where he will hold talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine.
At the heart of the negotiations is the opening of a security corridor for ships carrying Ukrainian grain. Turkey has offered to escort maritime convoys from Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which have been blocked by Moscow's offensive.
Ukraine and many Western governments have accused Russia -- which has said it would allow Ukraine to resume its grain exports by sea if the West lifted some sanctions imposed on it for starting the war -- of weaponizing the global food-supply crisis.
Lavrov was scheduled on June 7 to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for a continuation of talks that Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said have seen "significant progress" on a possible deal to allow grain exports.
Akar's remarks, quoted by state news agency Anadolu, came hours ahead of Lavrov's arrival.
Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine's coast since launching its invasion on February 24, and its warships control the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow was ready to work with Ankara to free up maritime shipping.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on June 7 told reporters Ukraine still needed to demine its coast in order for grain exports to take place.
"This will allow ships, once checked by our military to make sure they are not carrying any weapons, to enter the ports, load grain, and with our help, proceed to international waters," he said.
European Council President Charles Michel on June 6 accused Russia of using food supplies as "a stealth missile against developing countries" and put the blame squarely on Moscow for the impending global food crisis, prompting Moscow's UN ambassador to walk out of a Security Council meeting.
In words directly addressed to Valery Nebenzya, Michel said he recently saw millions of tons of grain and wheat stuck in containers and ships at the Ukrainian port of Odesa “because of Russian warships in the Black Sea.” He added that Russia's bombardment of key infrastructure installations was preventing the planting and harvesting of grain.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that two major Ukrainian ports on the Azov Sea seized by Russian forces -- Berdyansk and Mariupol -- were ready to resume grain shipments, but added that Kyiv still must demine the approaches to its ports for exports to take place.
Ukraine's main port of Odesa remains blocked.
Russia's offensive in Ukraine has disrupted supplies of wheat and other commodities from the two countries, prompting concerns about the risk of food shortages and hunger around the world.