Russian foreign ministry says May 5 grain deal talks not yet confirmed -Russian media

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that proposed talks between Russia, Ukraine and Turkey on the Black Sea grain deal on May 5 have not yet been agreed, Russian media reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency quoted Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying the grain deal would be discussed at a meeting in Istanbul. But Russia's state-owned news agency RIA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying of the proposed talks: "The question has not yet been agreed."

Russia has repeatedly cast doubt on the renewal of the Turkish-brokered grain deal, which was signed in July last year and facilitates Russian and Ukrainian agricultural exports on the Black Sea.