Russia, Ukraine agree to wartime grain exports

The two warring governments signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations that opened the Black Sea for millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian and Russian grain, as well as Russian fertilizer. But the deal was in jeopardy Sunday after Russian missiles hit the port of Odesa. Russia claimed it only struck military targets in the latest attack. If the deal holds, ships moving in and out of three Ukrainian ports—Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny—will be subject to searches to make sure they aren’t transporting weapons. Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish, and U.N. officials will coordinate the coming-and-going processes.

What does this mean for the world? Twenty-two million tons of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products could finally move toward international markets after sitting in the Black Sea for months during the war, as will Russian food and agricultural products. The deal comes amid fears that developing nations could face food shortages as a result of the war.

Dig deeper: Read the report in WORLD Magazine compiled by several World Journalism Institute students from this summer about how the war in Ukraine has raised food and fuel prices in the U.S.