Programming Note: Barring any major news out of Ukraine, there will not be an update tomorrow.
Diplomacy
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Russia will help with the looming food crisis if sanctions are lifted, while Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister warned Ukraine’s grain shortfall will be felt by July.
Sanctions
The Treasury Department issued a General License permitting Americans to pay taxes, fees, or import duties and purchase or receive permits, licenses, registrations, or certifications, with certain exceptions.
Consequences
The Russian Central Bank cut interest rates to 11%.
Ship-to-ship transfers are keeping oil moving from Russia to China.
The Pentagon said that microelectronics sanctions have particularly hurt Russia’s military industrial complex.
Ukraine Sitrep
The Pentagon is calling Russia’s progress in Ukraine “incremental” as Russia shells dozens of towns in eastern Ukraine.
The U.S. is privately warning Ukraine against striking inside Russia as it weighs sending increasingly sophisticated weaponry.
The U.S., along with the EU and UK, created an Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group to ensure coordination of war crimes investigations.
Moldova Sitrep
No news of note