UN Proposals on Grain Deal Have No Guarantees for Russia - Lavrov

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The proposals made by the United Nations regarding the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative lack guarantees when it comes to Russia’s concerns, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

Lavrov held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Moscow on Thursday. The Russian minister mentioned that Moscow “appreciates” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to renew the grain deal.

“I spoke with him [Guterres] a few days ago on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He told me about his new initiatives. He sent me a message on that. We explained honestly both to the [UN] secretary general and to our Turkish friends that, still, in this message there is not a single guarantee [for Russia]. There are only promises to try faster, to try harder,” Lavrov told a press conference.

Lavrov: Situation After Grain Deal Termination Exaggerated by Foreign Media

The situation after the termination of the grain deal is blown out of proportion by foreign media, there is no rise of food prices, the minister stressed.

"It seems to me that the whole situation, which developed after the termination of the Black Sea initiative, is being artificially blown out of proportion, largely due to the work of Western media. We have given statistics to our Turkish colleagues today... there is no food crisis in the world, there is no price increase," the Russian top diplomat emphasized.

Situation in Ukraine, Zelensky's Peace Plan Discussed - Lavrov

Lavrov stated that he explained the unacceptability of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan for Moscow to his Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

"We talked about the situation in and around Ukraine, including the initiatives that are designed to promote the unacceptable, ultimatum-driven and deliberately failed 'Zelensky's Peace Formula.' We explained why it is impossible to rely on the efforts that are being made in this direction, which are trying to replace any serious conversation about how to ensure equal, indivisible security that will prevent conflicts on the territory of Europe," Lavrov stressed.

Fidan: Preparations for Putin, Erdogan Meeting in Sochi Discussed

The Turkish diplomat stated that he discussed with the Russian counterpart the preparations for the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi.

"Soon our presidents will meet in Sochi. Our leaders will discuss topical issues on the agenda. During this visit, preparations were made for the meeting of our leaders," Fidan told a press conference, following talks with Lavrov.

The presidents are expected to discuss the grain deal in detail at the upcoming talks, the minister added.

"There are a lot of technical details. Today we reviewed the technical details, we will present them to our leaders, and the leaders of the countries will discuss them in detail at the upcoming talks. Our efforts in this direction will continue," Fidan stated.