G-7 Nations Pledge $4.5 Billion To Tackle Food Insecurity

Group of Seven leaders has agreed to spend $4.5 billion on addressing food security issues around the globe exacerbated by rising grain and food costs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The White House said Tuesday that the United States is pitching in $2.76 billion toward the effort. The funding will be used to assist 47 countries and regional organizations dealing with food insecurity and malnutrition.

The White House says the most immediate needs are in the Horn of Africa, where the Russian blockade of grain from Ukraine has worsened an already desperate situation. The Horn of Africa is experiencing a fourth straight season of drought, with as many as 20 million facing the threat of starvation by year's end, the White House says.

The Biden administration said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions “have strangled food and agriculture production and have used food as a weapon of war.”