Australia Joins Regional Leaders in NATO Visit

(Bloomberg) — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will head to Europe for a NATO meeting in late June, in what the new premier has described as a show of support for Ukraine in the face of “thuggish, illegal behavior” by Russia. 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol also plan on attending. Their attendance at the meeting in Madrid would be precedent-setting visits from the leaders of the two US allies who neighbor Russia, which add to the backing of the military alliance from Indo-Pacific powers. 

The leaders of Germany, France and Italy pledged support for Ukraine to become a candidate to join the European Union after talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a visit to Kyiv intended to show unity in the face of Russia’s invasion. European natural gas prices spiked as Moscow tightened its flows to the continent in a move that Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi called politically motivated.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Eni Says Gazprom to Supply 50% of Gas Requested for June 17 (9:04 a.m.)

Eni said Gazprom has announced that it will supply only 50% of Italy gas requested for June 17.

Eni has submitted a daily gas demand for approximately 63 million cubic meters, the Italian company said on its website. Actual delivered volumes almost unchanged with respect to the amounts Thursday.

Fight for Control of Sievierodonetsk Continues (8:54 a.m.)

Russia continues shelling Sievierodonetsk in its push to capture the city, crucial for Ukraine’s defense in Luhansk region and was also advancing toward Slovyansk, another key city in the Donetsk region, amid fierce fighting, Ukraine’s Military Staff said.

Oil Set for Weekly Loss (6:23 a.m.)

Oil is heading for the first weekly decline since April after a period of choppy trading as investors weigh the prospect of further monetary tightening from central banks to curb rampant inflation.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has fanned inflation and helped to drive up the cost of everything from food to fuels. US retail gasoline prices have repeatedly broken records and the national average recently topped $5 a gallon. The White House is weighing limits on fuel exports to try to alleviate the pump pain.

Australian PM to Attend June NATO (2:53 a.m.)

In an interview with Sky News Australia, Albanese didn’t confirm whether he would accept an invitation by Zelenskiy to visit Kyiv but said he would attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Madrid on June 29.

“I’m going to NATO as a priority, because Australia is actually the largest non-NATO contributor to the efforts to support sovereignty in Ukraine and to support the people of Ukraine standing up against this thuggish, illegal behavior of Russia,” Albanese said.

Read more: Kishida to Be First Japanese Premier to Attend NATO Summit

Russia’s War Pushes Global Displacement to Record, UN Agency (1:30 a.m.)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused one of the fastest and largest displacements of people since World War Two and helped push the number forced to flee their homes globally to the highest annual level since the United Nations began keeping track. 

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said in a report that by the end of 2021, the number of people “displaced by war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses” stood at 89.3 million around the world, more than double from a decade ago. The numbers are rising this year, and as of May 2022, more than 100 million people were forcibly displaced, it said. The war the war in Ukraine has displaced about 8 million within the country this year, it has said. 

US Sails Seized Russian Megayacht to Hawaii (1:06 a.m.)

US authorities have sailed the $325 million yacht they seized last week that’s linked to Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov to Hawaii — a big win for the Biden administration as it looks to confiscate Russian assets and punish oligarchs for their country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The 348-foot Amadea, now sailing under an American flag and manned by a new crew, moored in Hawaii on Thursday morning local time, according to vessel data compiled by Bloomberg and space-based analytics firm Spire Global Inc.

Follow the Amadea’s journey here.