Talks between Russia and Türkiye* brought no signs of progress on a deal to unblock shipments of Ukrainian grain that have contributed to warnings of a global food-supply crisis. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took the trip to Türkiye to meet with his counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Ankara on Wednesday, but failed to yield a breakthrough. There was no representative from Ukraine at the meeting. Russia’s invasion in late February disrupted deliveries to markets, pushing global food prices higher and threatening mass starvation in some countries heavily reliant on Ukrainian grain. Ukraine was among the world’s largest exporters of wheat before the war erupted. Kiev and Moscow blame each other for laying sea mines off the Black Sea coast, which have now become a security concern in grain talks. Russia has already done its part and now it is up to Ukraine to remove the mines, Lavrov told a press conference in Ankara. Wheat cannot be ‘weapon of war’, Pope says, urging lifting of Ukraine block Moscow is “ready to ensure the safety of ships leaving Ukrainian ports,” Lavrov added. A solution is still possible thanks to a Türkish offer to either help clear mines or ensure safe passage, the Russian top diplomat added. Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye favours a United Nations plan involving all three countries and the UN. The Russian navy has been blockading Ukrainian ports for weeks. Kiev, meanwhile, does not trust Moscow’s promises of safe passage of ships from Ukraine through the Black Sea. Lavrov downplayed global concerns about a food crisis, arguing it is “really a small problem.” According to Ukrainian data, more than 23 million tons of grain and oilseeds cannot be exported. Before the war, 90 per cent of Ukrainian exports were made via its ports. Three of them – Mariupol, Berdiansk and Kherson – are under Russian control. Kiev also accuses Moscow of stealing million tons of grain from the occupied areas. An alternative method for exporting Ukrainian grain is using the rail network, but technical complications like differing track widths among Ukraine and its neighbours are a hindrance. The European Union has to “dismantle Russia’s disinformation” blaming the West for the world’s food crisis, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. “Food has become now part of the Kremlin’s arsenal of terror and we cannot tolerate this,” von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Von der Leyen was responding to Moscow’s attempts to blame Western sanctions for the grain shortages. “They do not affect the trading of grain or other food between Russia and third countries,” she said, adding that the bloc’s port embargo on Russian-flagged ships has a full exemption for agricultural goods. * Turkey has officially changed the spelling of its name ** Additional reporting dpa