“Russia and Ukraine have signed a deal to relieve the global food crisis,” Scorch informed her friends, “The ceremony took place in Istanbul, Turkiye.”
“Wait, what? That’s strange. Aren’t the two countries at war?” Orak said.
“Yes, they are,” replied Verum, “In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, its neighboring country. The war is ongoing.”
“And this war has led to a global food crisis!” Scorch said.
“Russian warships and landmines have blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The Black Sea lies between Europe and Asia. It is bounded by countries such as Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Due to this, millions of tonnes of wheat and other grains have been stockpiled for months in Ukraine. The deal allows Ukraine to export grains from its Odesa port and get safe passage through the Russian mines in the Black Sea. Additionally, Russia will also export its grains,” Scorch said.
“That’s good news!” Felix exclaimed.
Scorch nodded and said, “The two countries export grains worldwide. Due to the blockade, wheat prices had increased worldwide. Now that the deal has been signed, prices have started reducing. According to the United Nations (UN), 47 million people face hunger because of the war. The deal will help ease this global food crisis.”
“It is the first major deal between Russia and Ukraine since February. It would have been a tense situation for the deal to come through,” Verum said.
“Phew! Extremely! The ceremony was tense,” Scorch said, “Ukraine didn’t want to sign on the same document as the Russians. So, the two sides signed separate but identical agreements. But Ukraine has warned that it will respond with military action if Russia attacks its ships.”
“If everything was so tense, who helped the two countries reach an agreement?” Felix wanted to know.
“Turkiye and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres helped the two warring countries reach an agreement. Guterres and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were present during the ceremony,” Scorch informed.
“Hey, guess what?” Verum said, looking up from her crystal ball, “First ship carrying Ukrainian grains has already left the Odesa port!”