Turkey announced on Thursday, 14 July, a deal with Ukraine, Russia, and the United Nations that aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukraine that had been blocked by Russia.
The agreement raises the likelihood of ending a standoff that could have led to a food-crisis, starving millions.
"We are indeed making significant efforts to restore the supply of food to the world market. And I am grateful to the United Nations and Turkey for their respective efforts," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, also stated, "today is an important and substantive step, a step on the way to a comprehensive agreement."
The United Nation's classification of the number of people being "acutely food insecure” before the COVID-19 pandemic was 130 million, after which it rose to 276 million.
"This number has increased to 345 million due to the Ukraine crisis. And a staggering 50 million people in 45 countries are now just one step from famine," according to David Beasley, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. The war is currently focused on the Donbas region in the eastern part of the country.
(With inputs from Reuters and The Guardian.)
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