Russia links cooperation to the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea with an end to international sanctions against Russian agricultural exports. President Putin held talks about this in Tehran on Tuesday with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan.
Russia's military intervention in Ukraine has hampered shipments from one of the world's largest exporters of wheat and other grains, raising fears of global food shortages.
Ukraine and Russia are in mediation talks under Turkish and UN to unblock crucial grain exports. "We will facilitate the export of Ukrainian grain, but we assume that all restrictions on possible supplies for the export of Russian grain will be lifted," Putin told reporters in Tehran after talks with the presidents of Iran and Turkey.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said Moscow had agreed to "basic principles" over a grain deal, but Ukrainian negotiators had refused to include a clause to protect Russia's agri-exports.
Russia has therefore asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to intervene in the grain talks. Putin said the US has already lifted some sanctions, most notably against Russian fertilizer exports.
If Washington really wants improvements in the global market, it must also lift sanctions against Russian grain exports, Putin said.
Contributing to the negotiations in Istanbul, the US Treasury Department made it clear last week that involvement in Russia's fertilizer and grain exports does not mean violating sanctions.
In addition, the United States this week eased previously imposed import tariffs on Russian fertilizer raw materials. In the European Union, too, there is talk of broadening the possibilities for fertilizer imports.