MOSCOW — Russia signaled readiness Monday morning to engage on a restructured Black Sea grain corridor framework, sending Chicago and Paris wheat futures lower in early trading as the trade-flow concerns that had supported the agricultural commodity complex for several weeks began to ease.

The signal, communicated through Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in remarks at a Moscow policy forum, indicated that Russia would be open to discussions on a restructured corridor with what he called “appropriate operational modifications” from the previous arrangement that had been suspended during the war period. Lavrov did not commit Russia to specific framework provisions but said engagement could begin “promptly” if the relevant counterparties were similarly prepared.

The signal represents a shift from Russia’s posture through the past three months, during which Russian officials had emphasized that any restored corridor framework would require Western concessions on broader sanctions-related questions. The scope of the Monday signal — focused on the operational framework rather than on broader sanctions-related conditioning — was characterized by Western diplomats as a meaningful evolution.

Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures opened Monday morning approximately three percent below Friday’s closing price, with the principal contract trading at $6.18 per bushel against Friday’s $6.37 settlement. The Paris-based MATIF milling wheat contract opened down roughly two-and-a-half percent in euro terms. The moves represented the largest single-session declines in the agricultural commodity complex in approximately three weeks.

The Ukrainian government’s response, delivered through a Monday-morning statement from the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv, was cautious. The statement indicated that Ukraine would engage with any restructured framework that “appropriately protects the interests of Ukrainian agricultural producers and the operational integrity of Ukrainian export infrastructure.” A senior Ukrainian foreign-ministry official, in a background briefing Monday morning, said the Ukrainian position would require operational guarantees rather than political commitments. The official noted that the previous arrangement had been undermined by Russian operational actions during its lifetime and that any restored framework would need stronger enforcement provisions.

Turkey’s facilitative role in the previous corridor had been central, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was expected to play a similar role in any restructured framework. Fidan, in remarks delivered Monday afternoon in Ankara, said Turkey would be prepared to convene the relevant counterparties for talks in Istanbul “as early as next week” if both parties confirmed readiness.

The European Union’s interest in a restored framework is substantial. The bloc’s grain-flow patterns have been affected by the suspension, with several European wheat-importing member states having relied more heavily on alternative supply sources during the past year. The EU’s agriculture commissioner, in a Monday-morning statement, said the union would support a restored framework’s establishment if its operational provisions could be credibly guaranteed.

The United Nations’ role would again be central. The original framework had been administered through a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul under UN auspices, with the UN carrying operational responsibility for monitoring and coordination. A senior UN official, in a Monday-afternoon statement from New York, said the UN was prepared to resume its operational role under appropriate framework provisions.

The market response to the Russian signal will depend on the trajectory of subsequent negotiations. A senior agricultural-commodities analyst at a major U.S. brokerage, in a Monday-morning client note, said the response had been measured given the uncertain trajectory but acknowledged that the directional signal had been significant.

Western diplomats interpreted the timing of the Russian signal through multiple lenses. Some characterized it as responsive to the post-Pokrovsk operational situation and to the consolidation of Russian positions in eastern Ukraine. Others viewed it as a response to the EU’s advancing Russian-assets windfall package, which is scheduled for council adoption on May 27. A senior Russian foreign-ministry official, in a Monday-afternoon briefing, rejected both characterizations, saying the Russian position reflected independent strategic considerations rather than reactive policy.

The first in-person meeting could occur as early as next week in Istanbul, depending on the pace of coordination among the counterparts. The global agricultural-commodities complex will respond to that trajectory through the coming weeks, with wheat-market positioning expected to track the evolution of framework discussions.

The global food-security implications of a restored corridor would be meaningful for low-income food-importing countries that had been affected by the suspension. The World Food Programme, in a Monday-afternoon statement, said the organization would welcome any restored framework that could ease the food-security pressures on vulnerable populations across East Africa and the Middle East.