Air defense intercepted 29 out of 30 missiles fired by Russian forces overnight, Ukraine’s army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said. Kyiv and other areas were targeted. One person was killed by a missile attack on the southern port city of Odesa.

The missile attack on Kyiv was the ninth strike against the capital this month.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said there was intense military activity underway in parts of Ukraine, stopping short of saying whether Kyiv’s much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russia had begun.

Chinese ambassador Li Hui met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Beijing kicked off a European tour.

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Markets

Corn traded near the lowest level since November 2021 after a two-month extension of a deal allowing Ukraine to ship crops through the Black Sea. Wheat hovered near the weakest in more than two years, while soybeans fell to the lowest since July last year.

Coming Up

• Fri: Start of Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima, Japan; China’s Li Hui expected in Warsaw