• Russia and Ukraine came to an agreement to allow grain exports from blockaded Black Sea ports. 
  • The deal is aimed to help avoid a "food shortage catastrophe."
  • The Secretary-General of the UN called the deal a "beacon of hope, possibility & relief."

Ukraine and Russia signed a deal backed by the United Nations to allow grain exports from blockaded Black Sea ports, helping to avoid "a food shortage catastrophe for millions worldwide," a UN official said. 

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, called the deal a "beacon of hope, possibility & relief," in a tweet on Friday.

The agreement aims to allow the passage of grains and essential goods from three Ukrainian ports and the passage of essential Russian-made fertilizer products to ease the global food crisis brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, The Guardian reported. 

At the signing, Guterres said the deal would benefit developing countries "on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine," The Guardian reported.

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