U.S. turns attention to Russia’s ability to make bond payments

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The U.S. is ratcheting up the economic pressure on Russia by targeting its ability to make bond payments. So far, Russia has managed to avoid a default on sovereign debt. But, the Treasury Department has now started blocking Russia’s ability to access assets held at U.S. banks. Shipping costs rose to major heights during the pandemic, but they actually went down in March.</span></p>