Ukraine Recap: US Aid for Kyiv at Risk; Slovakian Election

Ukraine said five ships are heading to its Black Sea ports for loading, while three others have sailed with cargoes, as Kyiv seeks to overcome Russia’s blockade of its commodity exports that started two months ago when Moscow pulled out of a key grain deal.

(Bloomberg) — Ukraine said five ships are heading to its Black Sea ports for loading, while three others have sailed with cargoes, as Kyiv seeks to overcome Russia’s blockade of its commodity exports that started two months ago when Moscow pulled out of a key grain deal. 

US lawmakers omitted further aid to Ukraine in a measure passed Saturday in a successful last-ditch effort to avoid a federal government shutdown, signaling that US support for funding Kyiv’s fight against the Russian invasion is getting harder. In Slovakia, Robert Fico, a former prime minister who’s called for an end to military funding for Ukraine and derided EU sanctions against Russia, won Saturday’s election in a potential blow to Western unity. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was in Kyiv Sunday for a meeting with Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s recently-appointed defense minister, after spending Saturday in Odesa.  

Explosions were heard around the southern Russian city of Sochi and flights disrupted in the area, according to media reports, after a possible drone strike. Russia launched about 30 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight, with 16 intercepted, Kyiv’s air force said. Kremlin drones struck industrial facilities, including grain storage, in Uman in the central Cherkasy region. Civilian infrastructure was also hit in Kryvyi Rih. 

Latest Coverage

  • Putin Says Waging War in Ukraine Defends Russian Sovereignty 
  • Ukraine Ready to Load Five Grain Ships Despite Russian Threats
  • Firebrand Ex-Premier Wins in Slovakia in Blow to EU Unity 
  • Ukraine Aid Falls by Wayside as Congress Passes Spending Bill
  • Shapps Weighs UK Military Trainers in Ukraine, Telegraph Says

Markets

Wheat prices have fallen to a three-year low amid booming harvests in Russia and other key producers. 

Oil posted its largest quarterly rally since the initial jolt from the war in Ukraine as lower Russian fuel exports threaten to further tighten a market wrestling with OPEC+ production cuts.   

 

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.