Representatives of Russia and the United Nations may meet this month for a new round of negotiations to facilitate Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers, the RIA news agency reported, citing Russian UN representative Gennady Gatilov.

Moscow blames the EU for last year's failure of a Black Sea grain deal that allowed grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports, citing a lack of progress in clearing the way for its own exports.

Gatilov, who represents Russia at UN institutions based in Geneva, said Moscow is demanding that sanctions be lifted on companies and banks involved in the export of Russian agricultural goods, which would allow them to work with insurers and conduct export business.

Gatilov's claims of limited exports do not sound in sync with the official statistics of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture.

"Exports of Russian agricultural products have increased 30-fold since 2000, while the volume of agricultural production has grown by 87 percent," said Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev.

"Agricultural production has grown by 87% since 2000, while grain and meat volumes have doubled, allowing Russia to increase exports 30-fold," he explained.

The production of food products has also grown significantly, and the catch of fish has increased by nearly 60%, the minister added.

The Ministry of Agriculture said earlier that Russian agricultural export earnings exceeded $45 billion in 2023 for the first time, and the final figure after recalculation is expected to be even higher.