Russia sees progress of quadripartite talks on grain exports

MOSCOW, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations have reached consensus on some issues regarding grain exports and the negotiation will continue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

There was a substantive discussion during the talks in Turkey's Istanbul on Wednesday and some elements of possible agreements were formulated, the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish authorities are now considering the results of the first round of the talks, and after that contacts in the same format will be resumed, Zakharova said.

The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the end of the talks on Wednesday on Twitter without disclosing any immediate results or whether the talks would continue.

The meeting came at a time when global food prices have soared with growing concerns about food shortages due to the prolonged Ukraine crisis.