Russia's Defence Ministry affirmed, on Friday, that a "final document" designed to unblock grain exports from Ukrainian ports will be ready "soon".
"Soon the work on creating a final document on the 'Black Sea initiative' will be completed," the Defence Ministry's spokesman, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, said on state television.
The document is set to come out following talks with Kyiv in Turkey on Wednesday. The negotiations will involve UN and Turkish officials to relieve a global food crisis.
Konashenkov said Moscow's proposals had "largely been supported by the participants of the consultations".
He did not disclose any further details but said the proposals were designed to "ensure the transportation of food to foreign states, including to Russian partners". He also said Moscow wanted to prevent the shipping routes to be used for "the supply of weapons and military equipment" to Kyiv.
On his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the direct negotiations a "ray of hope to ease human suffering and alleviate hunger around the world".
The Istanbul talks came in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin's scheduled meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Iran next week.
Last Monday, Erdoğan’s had a phone conversation with Putin and addressed the Ukrainian crisis.
“The two leaders discussed the situation in Syria, the situation in Ukraine in the light of Russia’s military operations, the establishment of safe corridors for exporting grain by the Black Sea,” the Turkish President’s office said.
Erdoğan stressed that “it is high time to take action to implement the UN plan for the establishment of corridors to export grain,” and called for a “lasting and fair” settlement of the Ukrainian crisis by peaceful means, at the negotiating table
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