Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Fate of eastern Ukraine at stake in Severodonetsk, Zelensky says
Top U.N. officials are at work on a package deal that would allow for the export of Ukrainian food products and would ensure Russian food and fertilizers can hit global markets, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said Wednesday.
The war is exacerbating an already-dire food crisis worldwide, with Russia blockading millions of tons of grain at Ukraine’s ports and the Kremlin insisting Western sanctions are hampering its own exports. The two countries are among the largest sources of grain, and if a deal is not reached, “hundreds of millions of people in developing countries, including in sub-Saharan Africa,” will be imperiled, Guterres said.
U.N. negotiators are coordinating pentalateral talks with leaders in Moscow, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ankara, Turkey, Brussels and Washington, he said, but he declined to disclose details on the progress of those discussions. “This is one of those moments when silent diplomacy is necessary,” Guterres said. “And the welfare of millions of people around the world could depend on it.”
