Morning Brief: July 29

• Russia is the third in the space race: the head, said the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Bakanov. Russia is present in «every single» segment of the space market: the production of rockets of all classes, there is a segment on the MSC, there are satellites. However, Russia is inferior to the United States and China in terms of the number of launches.

• The European Union has suspended all financial assistance to Ukraine until the pressure on the main anti-corruption agencies stops. Earlier, the European Commission warned Ukraine about a possible suspension of financing. European officials fear that at the July 31 vote, the Verkhovna Rada will not adopt any of the bills restoring the independence of NABU and SAP, or deputies will amend the document that will make the restoration incomplete.

• The United States has again postponed the imposition of sanctions against the Serbian oil company NIS, extending the delay for another 30 days. This is the fifth extension of restrictions. The company, which is about 45% owned by Gazprom Neft, 11.3% owned by Gazprom, and almost 30% owned by Serbia, plays an important role in providing fuel to several European countries, including Romania, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Russian side expresses hope for the final lifting of sanctions.

• OPEC+ recorded the fulfillment of oil production agreements for May-June 2025, emphasizing the importance of meeting quotas. The lagging countries have been asked to provide compensation plans by August 18. The Committee continues to monitor the cuts approved in December 2024. The next meeting will be held on October 1, 2025.