Russia ends wartime grain deal with Ukraine

The United Nations and Turkey last July brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Russia and Ukraine to open ports and protect ships transporting grain and fertilizer. Both countries are major international suppliers of staples such as wheat, barley, and sunflower oil. Moscow on Monday said it will suspend the deal until the UN helps Russia get its goods to foreign markets, citing trade difficulty due to Western sanctions. Russian wheat shipments were at or near record levels late last year, according to financial data company Refinitiv. The deal was last renewed for 60 days in May.

How did the deal affect the rest of the world? The grain initiative was launched to ease surging food prices and shortages in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. More than 36 million tons of food have been exported from Ukraine since last August, according to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. Over half of the goods went to developing nations.

Dig deeper: Read the report in WORLD Magazine written by WJI graduates about how the war in Ukraine has raised food and fuel prices in the U.S.