We're pausing our live coverage now, so here's a recap of today's main developments:

• Ukraine and Russia have signed what the UN is calling a landmark deal to end the blockage of million of tonnes of grain exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports
• The deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey, includes a pledge by Russia not to attack cargo ships carrying grain, or the ports they set sail from - while Ukraine in return has agreed to allow the ships to be inspected, to check they're not carrying weapons
• Speaking from Istanbul, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the deal would help ease the global food crisis, while Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it would "hopefully revive the path to peace"
• Guterres also told the BBC the deal was probably the most important thing he has done at the UN
• Ukraine said it was integral to help mend the country's finances, while Russia pledged not to "take advantage" of the ports reopening
• There has been cautious optimism from global leaders, with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss saying Russia will be closely monitored to ensure it delivers on its promises.

Today's live page was written by Aoife Walsh, Catherine Evans, Marita Moloney and Laura Gozzi. It was edited by Owen Amos and Nathan Williams.

The agreement - to unblock vital exports of grain from Ukraine - was signed in Istanbul by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN secretary general.

Richard Kagoe
Reporting from Nairobi

Kenyans continue to reel from the impact of the Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Like many other countries in the continent, about one third of wheat imported into the East African nation comes from Russia and Ukraine.

Prices of wheat flour have been on the rise and this affected the prices of bread and chapati, a popular flatbread.

The majority of Kenyans cannot afford chapatis which go for 20 shillings ($0.17) a piece.

The government recently introduced a subsidy to bring down the price of maize flour, used to make Kenya’s staple food, ugali.

News of the deal about resuming grain exports through the Black Sea will be a relief to many consumers who have been struggling with soaring food prices.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine's infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov - who signed the UN-led deal to unblock grain exports - said the agreement had only been possible thanks to Ukrainian military successes.

"I believe we signed the agreement on our terms because we fully control our water area.

"There is no defeat. No-one is surrendering anything," Kubrakov said.

Kubrakov cited the recapture of Snake Island - an island located near several key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea - as an "important moment" in the military resistance against Russian aggression.

As we've been reporting, the grain deal has been welcomed around the world, with the UN secretary general calling it a "beacon of hope".

But there's caution, too - and a Ukrainian commodities analyst, Elena Neroba, has told the BBC that she is "doubtful" about the deal.

Neroba said it's unclear whether the deal covers only the 80 vessels currently in Ukrainian ports - which have a capacity to carry one million tonnes of grain - or whether it includes the 20 million tonnes currently held in silos across across the country.

Neroba also pointed out the blockade has caused Ukrainian farmers to lose income - which will limit their capactiy to reinvest in farming new crops.

That means Ukrainian farms will not be able to plant next season's crops, causing the price of grain to remain high globally.

Nick Thorpe
Reporting from Romania

Close to the mouth of the River Danube at Sulina, 122 ships at anchor ride the Black Sea surf.

Most are cargo ships, all empty, waiting to go upriver to the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni and Izmail, to pick up grain.

Since the start of the Russian blockade of the Ukrainian coast, Romania - and in particular the Chilia and central Sulina arms of the Danube - have played a growing role in getting Ukrainian exports to the world market.

Traveling up the Chilia arm from Tulcea, we pass many cargo ships at anchor, close to the Ukrainian shore, waiting their turns at the docks.

The Danube here is only seven metres deep. That means barges with a capacity of 1,600 tonnes only load to 1,300.

From Reni, it’s a 270 km journey, 36 hours non-stop, up the Danube to Cernavoda and down the canal to Constanta.

Their loads are then transferred to deep-seagoing ships. All five of Ukraine’s western neighbours have become transit countries for Ukrainian grain, seeds, vegetable oil, fertilisers and other products.

Romanian traders treat news of the grain deal in Istanbul with cautious optimism.

By late September, one told me, if the Istanbul agreement holds, cargo vessels could start again from Odesa.

A big relief for countries in Horn of Africapublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 22 July 2022

17:28 BST 22 July 2022

Anne Soy
Reporting from Nairobi

The grain export deal signed between Ukraine and Russia will come as a big relief to the Horn of Africa - a region that’s facing serious food shortages caused by drought, and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, a rare locust invasion,and the war in Ukraine.

The region relies heavily on imports of grains that make up their staple diet from Ukraine and Russia.

“For a country like Somalia where more than 95% of its wheat comes from Ukraine, imagine the difference that will make,” said Samantha Power, the US development agency’s administrator who is visiting the Horn of Africa.

She said releasing the grains from Ukraine is “an extremely important piece of a puzzle” - but also called for more countries to support efforts to alleviate the suffering of peope affected by drought in the region.

“There was a food crisis before this invasion,” she said as she announced $225million in aid for Kenya.

About four million Kenyans are on the brink of starvation following several seasons of failed rains.

The World Food Programme estimates that about 50 million people could face acute food insecurity in the region - particularly in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda, as well as Kenya.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have spoken this afternoon following the UN-brokered deal to get grain out of silos in the Black Sea.

Downing Street said Johnson welcomed the deal, and stressed the need for it to be implemented "in full".

The spokeswoman also said the prime minister "stressed the UK's ongoing determination to support the Ukrainian people" and said that "resolve will not waver, no matter who becomes the next UK prime minister".

She added that Zelensky thanked Johnson for his staunch support for Ukraine, as well as military support being provided by the UK which is making "a real difference" in the conflict.

It comes after Johnson made a second trip to Kyiv last month where he outlined the UK's training programme for Ukrainian troops.

Today's agreement means "jobs, salaries and taxes to the budget", according to a spokesman from President Zelensky's office.

Andriy Sybiha, a deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, says: "During the war, stability on the economic front is an integral part of our victory. Today we have made a very important step in this direction."

The cost of defending Russia's invasion, and the effect of the war on economic output, has had a devastating impact on Ukraine's finances.

In April, President Zelensky said the country needed more than $7bn (£5.8bn) in aid every month.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says the implementation of the agreements signed in Istanbul could start in the "coming days".

"I'm talking not only about beginning the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports, but clearly also work in this direction on the export of agricultural products and fertilisers from Russian ports," he says.

He also tells the Rossiya-24 state TV channel that Russia will not "take advantage" of the re-opening of Ukrainian ports.

Hope for Egypt as Ukrainian grain unblockedpublished at 16:45 British Summer Time 22 July 2022

16:45 BST 22 July 2022

Wael Hussein
Reporting from Cairo, Egypt

Unsubsidised food prices have gone up by 50% since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, the country has been struggling to diversify its sources of buying wheat, adding India to the list of exporters.

In late June 2022, the country’s grain buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), bought 815,000 tonnes of wheat, taking advantage of a recent price slump.

The purchase was the largest single acquisition of such goods since 2012 and comprised of 350,000 tonnes of French wheat, 240,000 tonnes of Romanian wheat, and 50,000 tonnes of Bulgarian wheat, the GASC said.

Bread made from wheat is considered a main staple here as around 70 million Egyptians use subsidised bread every day.

The authorities were also thinking of mixing potato with flour to produce bread - but there are concerns it won't taste as good.

Image source, EPA

Like the EU, the UK has also sounded a note of caution - with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss saying the onus is on Russia to honour its promises.

"Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine has meant some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world are at risk of having nothing to eat," she said.

"It is vital that Ukrainian grain reaches international food markets, and we applaud Turkey and the UN Secretary General for their efforts to broker this agreement.

Image source, Reuters

The EU has cautiously welcomed today's deal, after it was signed in Turkey.

In a tweet, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: "Today's Istanbul agreement is a step in the right direction. We call for its swift implementation."

• Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN have signed a crucial grain deal in Istanbul
• It will allow Ukraine to resume exports of grain through the Black Sea, after a Russian blockade
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the deal a "beacon of hope" that would help ease the global food crisis
• He also told the BBC it was probably the most important thing he had done at the UN
• Ukraine said it would not sign a direct deal with Russia - both sides agreed to "mirror" deals

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates and reaction.

Deal will be good news to millions in Nigeriapublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 22 July 2022

16:14 BST 22 July 2022

Nduka Orjinmo
Reporting from Abuja, Nigeria

Image source, Getty Images

This will come as good news to millions in Nigeria - just a day after bread disappeared from the shelves as the country’s bakers' association began a four-day strike to protest at high production costs.

Nigeria is the fourth largest importer of wheat in the world, spending more than $2bn in 2020 to buy the grains.

While most of its supply came from Russia, the spike in global wheat prices led to a rise in prices of items such as pasta, noodles and bread, some by 50%.

Though it will not automatically lead to a cessation of the four-day strike by the bakers’ association - as there is still the matter of a 15% levy on wheat imports they want the government to remove, among other things - people can expect some price stability for staple food, amid high inflation.

Paul Adams
BBC Diplomatic correspondent

It's not just Ukrainian grain that's important to ease this pressure on global food supplies - it's also Russian produce and Russian fertiliser.

Neither of those are under any kind of international sanctions.

But because of the reluctance on the part of international shipping companie to do business with Russia, Moscow has had all sorts of problems finding vessels to do its own exports through the Black Sea.

The parallel deal that was reached today will address those Russian concerns about its ability to export as well.

These two deals had to be reached simultaneously because nothing was going to happen unless both deals were struck.

Orla Guerin
Reporting from Istanbul

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, told me the deal to resume exports of grain from Ukraine is vital for the war-torn nation, and for many in the developing world who are at risk of famine.

He said it was probably the most important thing he has done in his time heading the UN.

Guterres emphatically denied Russia was being rewarded under the agreement, though it too will benefit - Moscow will be helped to get tonnes of its food and fertiliser to world markets.

These items are not covered by sanctions, but Russia has faced problems exporting them since it invaded its neighbour in February.

He said:

I asked if it was difficult to negotiate with Russia, as it continues to kill women and children in Ukraine.

"Of course it’s not easy," Guterres replied, "but there is a sense of duty that the Secretary General of the United Nations must have in relation to the whole world."

He admitted that the UN had no means of punishing Russia if it breaches the deal, but he said that would "an absolutely unacceptable scandal and the whole international community would react in a very strong way."

The four-wary agreement – between Russia, Ukraine, the UN and Turkey - is a considerable diplomatic victory in a brutal war, now in its sixth month. But the UN Secretary General sees little prospect of broader peace talks.

"I'm very worried with the fact that at the present moment, I see no conditions for a peace process. This is clear, not even for a global ceasefire. I don’t think we are close to that."

Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva

United Nations aid agencies will heave a huge sigh of relief at the deal to unblock Ukraine’s ports.

The World Food Programme buys grain from Ukraine to deliver to countries facing starvation.

Last year Ukrainian grain fed 400 million people.

The WFP has had to cut rations to Sudan and Niger, and has warned that the world "faces a hunger crisis of catastrophic proportions" if the Black Sea ports are not unblocked.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says rising food, fuel, and fertiliser prices linked to the war in Ukraine have combined with successive drought and conflict in the Horn of Africa to threaten an "irreversible humanitarian crisis with an unimaginable human cost".

New grain supplies, more generous aid deliveries and a reduction in food prices could save many lives.

Today UN officials are quietly optimistic; they view the port agreement as a kind of mini ceasefire which might even lead to wider deals.

But first the agreement has to be officially signed, then it has to actually work, and even getting the necessary cargo ships into the Black Sea could take several weeks.

The agreement - to unblock vital exports of grain from Ukraine - has just been signed in Istanbul by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN secretary general.

The deal signed by Russia, Ukraine, the UN and Turkey is a "beacon of hope" in the war, the UN's Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

The deal, which representatives from all parties have just signed in Istanbul, means Russia agrees to a truce to allow grain exports.

Turkey will inspect ships to ensure they are not carrying weapons.

It's considered a diplomatic victory in the war, which is now entering its sixth month.

But Guterres added the deal "did not come easy... it has been a long road".