Ukraine Recap: US Defense Chief Has ‘No Doubt’ Kyiv to Join NATO

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he has “no doubt” Ukraine will join NATO after the war as a summit meeting this week buttressed that promise, a move President Joe Biden championed as a diplomatic breakthrough.

(Bloomberg) — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he has “no doubt” Ukraine will join NATO after the war as a summit meeting this week buttressed that promise, a move President Joe Biden championed as a diplomatic breakthrough.

Austin’s Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, cited a “very productive” summit meeting in Vilnius and touted a total of more than 1.5 billion in military pledges. They included SCALP missiles Leopard battle tanks, Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and pilot training for F-16 fighter jets, he said on Twitter. 

Russia’s flagship Urals crude oil meanwhile breached a price cap set by the Group of Seven, a blow to sanctions efforts and arguably an economic win for Moscow. According to price reporting agency Argus Media, Urals crude topped $60 a barrel Wednesday, climbing above the G-7 ceiling set last year in an attempt to restrict revenue to Moscow’s war machine.

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Markets

Russian Urals crude climbed above $60 a barrel, breaching a ceiling designed to stop Russian oil being transported on western-aligned ships — and with western insurance — unless it was priced under the threshold. 

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