MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. Russia interacts with the UN on the issue of unblocking grain supplies in Ukrainian ports, consultations are underway, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told journalists on Wednesday.

"On this subject, I already said that we are in the process of interacting with the UN on this matter. This issue was discussed in detail during a visit by [UN Secretary General Antonio] Guterres. There are further consultations underway on how the UN can help in this situation," the senior diplomat said.

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and large-scale sanctions introduced against Russia by the US and the EU led to disruptions in grain supplies, elevating the risk of a food crisis in a number of countries. Since the beginning of the year, wheat and corn prices increased by 30%. Earlier, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield in an interview with the BBC said that the issue of clearing mines in the Black Sea in order to create safe passages for ships was being discussed by Guterres within the framework of his initiative on returning Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers to global markets.