Ukraine

• A Russian missile struck a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, killing at least 16 but likely more: there were around 1,000 people in the mall when it was hit.
• NATO said it plans to expand its rapid reaction force nearly ten-fold, from 40,000 troops to 300,000. The move is intended to deter Russia: many of the new troops will join NATO battlegroups in eastern Europe.
• In addition to the G7 infrastructure initiative announced yesterday, G7 leaders said they would collectively spend $4.5 billion this year to fight global food shortages, which have been exacerbated to extremes by Russia's war in Ukraine.

• Russia claims it didn't actually default on its debt on Sunday, but made the missing payments when they were due back in May - only for a Belgium-based clearinghouse to block them from reaching investors. The fact remains that they never reached investors, so Russia is considered in default even though it hasn't formally recognized it.
• The trial of American WNBA star Brittney Griner will start Friday in a court near Moscow. Griner was charged with transporting drugs for allegedly carrying hash oil in her luggage, and faces up to 10 years in Russian prison. Her arrest four months ago coincided with a rise in U.S.-Russia tensions, and the State Department says she was "wrongfully detained."

• The U.S. and Taiwan began economic and trade talks yesterday, which was coincidentally the day that GlobalWafers, a Taiwan-based semiconductor manufacturer, chose to announce a plan to build a $5 billion silicon wafer factory in Texas. However, the plan requires financial incentives from the Chips Act - a U.S. bill currently gridlocked in Congress that aims to boost U.S. chip manufacturing capacity - so the factory can't move forward until Republicans and Democrats agree and pass the bill.
• A senior Chinese official and close ally of Pres. Xi was quoted in state media appearing to insinuate that China's zero-COVID strategy would remain in place "for the next five years" in Beijing, which triggered complaints from a lockdown-weary public. State censors scrambled to erase the quote and pretend it was never said.

• The U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs visited Venezuela yesterday to continue negotiations for the release of eight Americans who are jailed in the country. The first round of talks in March led to the release of two of ten prisoners, so hopes are high that this visit will see more of the remaining eight walk free.