The main events by the morning: May 13

• The European Union has decided to postpone discussions on future sanctions against Russia with Washington. The EU leaders plan to wait for the outcome of the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on May 15. In the absence of positive dynamics, the bloc will push the United States to impose additional sanctions against Moscow. The United States also wants to give Ukraine and Russia an opportunity to talk before imposing new sanctions.

• The strengthening of the ruble is influenced by two factors: the possible de-escalation in Ukraine and the key rate. Analysts note that the rate still significantly affects the exchange rate even after the departure of foreign funds from the country, which provided currency inflows with tight monetary policy. However, geopolitics is now coming to the fore. Negotiations affect investor sentiment, which leads to sharper fluctuations in the exchange rate. 

• The agreement between the United States and Ukraine on mineral resources will not bring profit for at least 10 years and requires large private investments. The launch of the mines will be delayed until 2040 due to the military conflict, destroyed infrastructure and corruption risks. 50% of the income from rent and licenses will go to an equal investment fund.

• Employment in the UK is growing at the slowest pace since December 2024. In March 2025, the indicator increased by 112 thousand, which is lower than the five-month high of 206 thousand, mainly due to a decrease in the number of full-time employees. During the year, employment increased by 640,000 due to an increase in the number of employees and the self-employed. The employment rate among people aged 16-64 was 75%, down 0.1 percentage points. 

• China will provide Latin American countries with a loan of 66 billion yuan (about $9.2 billion). This was stated by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting of the China–CELAC forum. He noted that Beijing plans to increase imports of high-quality products from the region and strengthen investments to support the economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean.