19/05/2022
*Russian Defence Ministry: 771 Ukraininan Fighters From Azovstal Surrendered Over Last 24 Hours — RIA
*Russian Defence Ministry: 1,730 Fighters From Azovstal Plant in Mariupol Have Surrendered Since Monday — RIA
*Swiss Foreign Affairs Department: Switzerland Reopens Its Embassy in Kyiv
*Swiss Foreign Affairs Department: Five FDFA Staff Will Return to Kyiv Over Next Few Days
*Swiss Foreign Affairs Department: Decision Is Based on an in-Depth Analysis of Security Situation in Ukrainian Capital
10:00 Onwards:
*UK: Added 3 New Designations Under the Russia Sanctions Regime
*UK: Introducing New Sanctions Against the Russian Airline Sector
*UK: State-Owned Aeroflot, Ural Airlines and Rossiya Airlines Will Now Be Unable to Sell Their Unused Landing Slots at UK Airports
*Kremlin Aide Oreshkin: Year-End Inflation in Russia Will Not Be Higher Than 15%
*Kremlin Aide Oreshkin: 2022 GDP Fall Will Be No More Than 5%
*Kremlin: If It Is to Open Access to Ukrainian Ports in Response to U.N. Appeal, Removal of Sanctions Will Also Have to Be Looked at — Interfax
*Kremlin: Russia Has No Hope of Launching Nord Stream-2 Pipeline Anytime Soon
*Kremlin: Europe Will Need Nord Stream-2 Gas Pipeline Irrespective of What It Says Now
*European Commission Spokesman: Doing Anything Beyond EU Guidance on Russian Gas Payments Is Not ‘Advisable’
*German Gas Importers Can Open Rouble Accounts to Pay for Russian Gas — Sources
*Opening of Rouble Accounts Is Possible As Long As Payments Are Not Made in Roubles — Sources
*German Finance Minister Lindner: Agreed to 1 bln Euros From Germany in Short-Term Aid for Ukraine
*German Finance Minister Lindner: 1 bln Euros Are Grants
*German Finance Minister Lindner: Cannot Confirm Today That Goal Is to Raise 15 bln Euros for Ukraine
*UK PM Johnson and Ukraine President Agreed to Step Up Work With Allies, Including the US, France and Germany, to Define the Longer-Term Security Architecture for Ukraine- Johnson’s Office
*UK PM Johnson and Ukraine President Looked at Options to Open Up Critical Sea and Land Supply Routes for Ukrainian Grain Stocks- Johnson’s Office
*Ukraine President Zelenskiy Says He Spoke to G7 Finance Ministers, Discussed “Practical Steps to Recover From the Consequences of War”
*Ukraine President Zelenskiy Says Had Phone Call With UK’s Johnson, Discussed Defence Support, Azovstal Evacuation and Ways to Export Agricultural Products From Ukraine
15:00 Onwards:
*French President Macron: Propagation of Russia Ukraine Conflict to Neighbouring Countries Cannot Be Excluded, Moldova Integrity Must Be Protected
*French President Macron: Platform for Support to Moldavia Will Be Mobilised to Give It All the Aid It Needs
*French President Macron: Want EU to Give Quick Opinion on Moldova Request for Membership
*French President Macron: Coming Weeks Must Allow to Give Clear Answer to Moldova
*Head of Russia’s Gazprom Neft Says We Are Redirecting Our Hydrocarbons to Asia, Among Other Routes
*Head of Russia’s Gazprom Neft Says Oil Supplies, Production Could Be Disrupted in Case of Embargo Against Russian Oil
*Senior Chinese Diplomat Wang Yi Says China Proposes to Start Process of Expanding BRICS
*Biden: U.S. Offers Strong Support to Finland and Sweden for Their Bid to Join NATO
*Biden: There’s No Question NATO Is Relevant Today, Needed Now More Than Ever
*Biden: Finland and Sweden Meet All NATO Requirements
*Biden: Our Administration Is Submitting to Congress Thursday Reports on NATO Accession for Both Finland and Sweden
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Finland Will Commit to Turkey’s Security As a NATO Ally
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Open to Discussing Concerns With Turkey About Joining NATO
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Discussions on This Will Continue in Coming Days
*Sweden’s PM Andersson: Talking With All NATO Members Including Turkey to Sort Out Any Issues
*Sweden’s PM Andersson: Sweden Will Meet 2% Threshold of Defense Spending Soon
*MSCI to Discontinue MSCI Russia Select Size & Liquidity 10/40 Index
*MSCI to Discontinue MSCI Rencap Russia Top Liquid Stocks Index
*MSCI to Discontinue MSCI Russia Issuers Capped to 5% Index
*MSCI to Discontinue MSCI Russia Select Size & Liquidity Index
*G7 Draft Communique: G7 Committed to Keeping Markets Open, Enhancing Resilience of Agricultural and Energy Markets in Line With Climate and Environmental Goals
*G7 Draft Communique: G7 Central Banks Closely Monitor Impact of Price Pressures on Inflation Expectations, Will Continue to Appropriately Calibrate Pace of Monetary Policy Tightening in a Data-Dependent and Clearly Communicated Manner
*G7 Draft Communique: G7 Will Continue to Support Greater Resilience of Critical Supply Chains Through Diversification, Investment in Alternative Resources and New Technologies, Including Critical Minerals and Renewable Energies
*EXCLUSIVE- U.S. Officials: U.S. Actively Working to Secure Supplies to Ukraine of Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles to Help Defeat Russia’s Black Sea Blockade
18:00 Onwards:
*Majority of U.S. Senate Backs $40 bln in Ukraine Aid, Sending Bill for Biden to Sign Into Law; Voting Continues
*Yellen: G7 Finance Leaders Did Not Discuss Increasing Central Bank Inflation Targets
*Yellen: U.S. Ukraine Aid Bill Contains $7.5 Billion of Pure Economic Support, European Commission Has Pledge 9 Billion Euros
*Yellen: G7 Finance Leaders Pledged to Provide Ukraine “the Resources That They Need to Get Through This”
*Yellen Says No Obvious Strategy Has Emerged in Discussions on Russian Oil Price Caps, Tariffs and Embargoes to Reduce Moscow’s Oil Revenues
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Meeting With Biden Was an Immensely Convincing Expression of Support for US
*Finland’s President Niinisto: We Appreciate U.S. Ability to React if There Would Be Need to React
*Finland’s President Niinisto: We Need to Go Through Turkey’s Demands One by One and Provide Answers to Them
*Finland’s President Niinisto Says, Referring to His Earlier Call With Russian President Putin, That There Is Not Much Hope of Achieving Peace in Ukraine at the Moment
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Flexibility Is Most Important in Terms of Military Exercises With NATO or Bringing in Military Equipment
*Finland’s President Niinisto: We Should Not Give Reason for Anyone to Overreact
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Believes High Level Contacts Will Be Needed to Address Turkey’s Concerns
*Finland’s President Niinisto: It Is Not Clear to Me That Turkey Would Have More Demands Towards Sweden Than Finland
*Finland’s President Niinisto: Sweden’s Cause Is Our Cause, Our Causes Are Shared
*U.S. Secretary of State Blinken Says He Has Authorized $100 Million in Additional U.S. Arms, Equipment and Supplies for Ukraine
*U.S. National Security Adviser Sullivan: U.S. Will Work Very Closely With Finland and Sweden to Deter Any Aggression Against Either of Them
*U.S. National Security Adviser Sullivan: Thinks Turkey’s Concerns Can Be Worked Through and Resolved
*U.S. National Security Adviser Sullivan: U.S. Has No Plans Now to Engage Directly With Turkey’s Erdogan Over NATO
*White House: Does Not Expect It Will Need to Revisit F16 Deal With Turkey As Part of NATO Negotiations Over Finland, Sweden
*White House: Biden Will Sign Ukraine Funding Bill While Traveling in Asia
*White House: Step by China to Replenish Its Strategic Reserves With Russian Oil Would Not Contravene U.S. Sanctions
*EU’s von Der Leyen Tells German TV EU Has Lawyers Looking For Ways of Using Frozen Assets of Russian Oligarchs to Fund Ukrainian Reconstruction