Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, and the sweeping sanctions against Moscow that followed, set off a surge in the prices of key commodities from oil to wheat. Poor countries dependent on food and energy imports — like Sri Lanka, which was forced to default on debt — were hit especially hard. Europe, which had relied on Russian pipelines before the war, saw the cost of natural gas and electricity spiral to record highs. By the year’s end, many of these prices had retreated.