Russia on Wednesday accused Britain of using a Black Sea grain corridor to deliver arms to Ukraine, after denying London's allegations that Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports had disrupted crucial grain supplies for other countries.
China is willing to cooperate more closely with Russia in the soybean industry, its agriculture ministry quoted an official as saying on Wednesday, without giving any details.
There's an internal battle in BRICS over its future direction. This, in turn, creates space and time for the West to exercise more positive and constructive influence in the ongoing process of reshaping the international order.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, had proposed reviving contacts on Black Sea shipping but that he had not yet had time to study the documents.
Russia's proposal for a new international grain exchange could take years to get off the ground even though the plan was welcomed by members of the BRICS group of countries at a summit this week in Kazan in Russia.
Leaders of the nations in the BRICS grouping, which accounts for 37 per cent of global economic output, predicted its influence would grow as they met in Russia on Tuesday, outlining common projects ranging from a grain exchange to a cross-border payments system.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday he and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had discussed safe navigation for shipping in the Black Sea.
Russia is proposing BRICS countries set up a grain exchange that would give Moscow greater control over international prices for its agricultural exports, ahead of a group summit that will be attended by leaders of top global grain producers and buyers.
World wheat inventories have fallen from record highs five years ago, U.S. data shows, as poor weather hurt output and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine temporarily spiked grain prices.