Ukraine’s grain exports are set to resume. For the world’s starving populations, this can’t come soon enough

Ukraine’s grain exports are set to resume. For the world’s starving populations, this can’t come soon enough

But for many Middle Eastern and African states that have long depended on the two nations for staple foodstuffs, the grain can't arrive soon enough.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's biggest wheat producers. The war in Ukraine sparked by Russia's unprovoked assault has been the major factor in driving food prices up by 17% since January, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), leaving large populations on the brink of starvation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the agreement would spare billions of people from hunger.