In this photo released by United Nations, a UN official of the Joint Coordination Centre carries out an inspection on board of the bulk cargo ship TQ Samsun, which traveled from Odessa, Ukraine, loaded with grain, while is anchored in the Black Sea, near the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul on July 17, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

UNITED NATIONS/ANKARA/ISTANBUL - A spike in grain prices since Russia suspended its participation in a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain "potentially threatens hunger and worse for millions of people," the United Nations' aid chief told the Security Council on Friday.

"Some will go hungry, some will starve, many may die as a result of these decisions," Martin Griffiths told the 15-member council, adding that some 362 million people in 69 countries were in need of humanitarian aid.

Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal on Monday, saying that demands to improve its own food and fertilizer exports had not been met, and that not enough Ukrainian grain had reached the poorest countries.

The UN has long argued that the Black Sea deal was a commercial operation and it had benefited poor states by helping lower food prices more than 23 percent globally since March last year. The World Food Programme also shipped 725,000 tonnes of grain to Afghanistan, Djibouti Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen

US wheat futures in Chicago rose over 6 percent this week, and on Wednesday had their biggest daily gain since February 2022. They pared some of those gains on Friday in part due to hopes Russia may resume talks on the deal.

The Black Sea grain deal was brokered a year ago by the United Nations and Türkiye to combat a global food crisis worsened by the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters.

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The UN has long argued that the Black Sea deal was a commercial operation and it had benefited poor states by helping lower food prices more than 23 percent globally since March last year. The World Food Programme also shipped 725,000 tonnes of grain to Afghanistan, Djibouti Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

But Mikhail Khan, a macroeconomist who Russia asked to brief the Security Council, said the poorest countries had received just 3 percent of the grain shipped by Ukraine, in line with UN data.

The impact of the grain deal in terms of provisions of Ukrainian grain to global markets is "essentially not very significant," he said.

Russia is negotiating exports of food to countries most in need following its exit from the deal, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said in Moscow on Friday.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin speaks to the media at a briefing in Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on July 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

EU still open to help UN

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said Moscow does not object to the Black Sea deal - "especially given its significance per the global food market for many states" - and was ready to return if its list of demands was met

Russia pounded Ukrainian food export facilities for a fourth day in a row on Friday and practiced seizing ships in the Black Sea. Moscow has described the attacks as revenge for a Ukrainian strike on Russia's bridge to Crimea.

Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said Moscow does not object to the Black Sea deal - "especially given its significance per the global food market for many states" - and was ready to return if its list of demands was met.

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He said Russia had harvested 156 million tons of grain over the past year, and exported 60 million tonnes. But he complained Russia operated at a loss due to lower grain prices and higher costs for cargo, foreign transactions, imports of agricultural production machinery and spare parts.

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of Russia's Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payments system. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022.

Before Russia withdrew from the Black Sea deal on Monday, the UN had "brokered a concrete proposal" with the European Commission to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT.

This file photo taken in Brussels on Dec 16, 2020 shows European Union flags fluttering in the wind outside the European Commission building. (PHOTO / AFP)

"We remain open to explore solutions with the UN that would contribute to the resumption of the grain deal," EU envoy to the UN Olof Skoog told the council.

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of Russia's Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payments system. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022

Erdogan plans talks with Putin

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan hopes to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month and said those talks could lead to the restoration of the Black Sea grain deal, calling on Western countries on Friday to consider Russia's demands.

"The termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative will have a series of consequences, ranging from an increase in global food prices, famine in some regions, to potential new waves of migration," Erdogan told reporters on his flight back to Türkiye.

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"I believe we will ensure the continuation of this humanitarian movement by discussing the issue in detail with Mr. Putin," he said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan hopes to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month and said those talks could lead to the restoration of the Black Sea grain deal, calling on Western countries on Friday to consider Russia's demands

The Turkish president noted that Moscow's expectations of the grain initiative should also be met.

"We know he also has some expectations from Western countries. Western countries need to take action in this regard," Erdogan said.

The president said he planned to have a phone conversation first and then discuss the issue face-to-face.

"If Mr. Putin's planned visit in August takes place, we will discuss these issues in detail. I believe we will ensure the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative before the process is prolonged," Erdogan said.

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Also on Friday, Erdogan discussed "in detail" the renewal of the grain initiative during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish Presidency Press Office on July 20, 2023 shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the New Ercan Airport in Nicosia, Northern Cyprus. (PHOTO / AFP)

Erdogan said Türkiye had made significant efforts to let the peace prevail during the phone call made upon the request of Zelensky, according to the statement.

We remain open to explore solutions with the UN that would contribute to the resumption of the grain deal.

Olof Skoog, EU envoy to the UN

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said Russia should be engaged to revive the initiative, warning that any solution that excludes Moscow would threaten security.

"We believe that Russia should be brought to the table," Fidan told a press conference in Istanbul that was attended by his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil.

READ MORE: Kremlin: Russia sees no grounds for extending grain deal

"It is very likely that solutions other than this will jeopardize security," Fidan said.