Live updates | UN Chief: War in Ukraine driving world hunger

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations chief said Wednesday he is in “intense contacts” with Russia and other countries to stop escalating global hunger exacerbated by the war in Ukraine by allowing the export of grain stored in Ukrainian ports and ensuring Russian food and fertilizers have unrestricted access to world markets.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he's hopeful after discussions with Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, the U.S., European Union and other key countries.

Guterres said Ukraine and Russia together produce almost a third of the world’s wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil, and Russia and its ally Belarus are the world’s number two and three producers of potash, a key ingredient of fertilizer.

The secretary-general said the number of people facing severe food insecurity has doubled in just two years from 135 million pre-pandemic to 276 million today.

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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:

— Interrogation, uncertainty for surrendering Mariupol troops

— NATO talks with Finland, Sweden falter but will continue

— Ukraine hopes to swap steel mill fighters for Russian POWs

— Russian soldier pleads guilty at Ukraine war crimes trial

— Will Turkey upend NATO expansion? US officials seek clarity

— NATO chief hails ‘historic moment’ as Finland, Sweden apply

— In Ukraine, limbs lost and lives devastated in an instant

— Europe’s push to cut Russian gas faces a race against winter

— Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country is seeking guarantees that Sweden...