Russia says some elements of possible deal on Ukraine grain are settled

No significant obstacles remain to signing the agreement, its source added. According to the Turkish defence ministry, the date of the next meeting is still not clear.

Contact between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations on the issue of exports of Ukrainian grain will continue after Wednesday's talks in Istanbul delivered some elements of a possible deal, Russia's foreign ministry said.

Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations are due to sign a deal next week aimed at resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports, Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday after the talks. "There has indeed been a substantive discussion on this issue," Maria Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters on Thursday.

"It was possible to formulate some elements of a possible agreement which Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey are now discussing in their capitals through their military departments," she said. A preliminary date for the next four-way meeting is July 20 or 21, the Russian RIA news agency reported on Thursday, citing a source familiar with the situation. No significant obstacles remain to sign the agreement, its source added.

According to the Turkish defense ministry, the date of the next meeting is still not clear.