UK: The United Nations has warned the Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked a global food crisis that could risk tens of millions of people and last for years.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he is in “intense contact” with Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the United States and the European Union in an effort to restore Ukrainian grain export amid the worsening global food crisis.

“It threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity, followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years,” Mr Guterres said.