Ukraine Faces Record Strikes, US Weapon Cuts, Trump Sets August Tariff Start

Andrew Sheves Good morning.

Happy Birthday America 🇺🇸

🇺🇦** Ukraine Faces Record Strikes, US Weapon Cuts**

Russia launched a record 550 drones and 11 missiles against Ukraine overnight, with 72 penetrating air defenses and hitting almost every district of Kyiv, killing at least one woman and wounding 23 people just hours after a “disappointing” call between Trump and Putin. More - BBC 

The massive attack coincided with the White House announcing cuts to weapons deliveries to Ukraine “to put America’s interests first,” potentially including Patriot interceptors and ammunition that Ukraine desperately needs for air defense. Ukraine warned the weapons halt would “encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror,” while the Kremlin welcomed the reduced arms flow as helping end the conflict faster. More - BBC

🇺🇸** Trump Sets August Tariff Start**

President Trump said his administration will begin notifying trading partners Friday of new US tariffs ranging from 10-70% effective August 1, five days before his July 9 deadline for trade deals. Trump plans to send “10 or 12” letters Friday with additional notifications over subsequent days, stating countries will “start to pay on Aug. 1” as he prefers “simple deals” over complicated negotiations. The top tier of his tariff range exceeds his initial April proposals that maxed at 50%, while talks with major partners including Japan, South Korea and the EU remain unfinalized. More - Bloomberg

🚢 Bloomberg’s Tariff Tracker lists all current tariff rates and any exceptions

Africa Stability Ratings and News Summary

More Unstable

🇩🇿 Algeria, 🇦🇴 Angola, 🇧🇯 Benin, 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso, 🇧🇮 Burundi, 🇨🇲 Cameroon, 🇨🇫 Central African Republic, 🇹🇩 Chad, 🇰🇲 Comoros, 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic Of The Congo, 🇩🇯 Djibouti, 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea, 🇪🇷 Eritrea, 🇸🇿 Eswatini, 🇪🇹 Ethiopia, 🇬🇦 Gabon, 🇬🇳 Guinea, 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau, 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast, 🇰🇪 Kenya, 🇱🇸 Lesotho, 🇲🇬 Madagascar, 🇲🇼 Malawi, 🇲🇱 Mali, 🇲🇷 Mauritania, 🇲🇺 Mauritius, 🇲🇦 Morocco, 🇲🇿 Mozambique, 🇳🇪 Niger, 🇳🇬 Nigeria, 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo, 🇷🇼 Rwanda, 🇸🇴 Somalia, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇸🇸 South Sudan, 🇸🇩 Sudan, 🇹🇬 Togo, 🇺🇬 Uganda, 🇪🇭 Western Sahara, 🇿🇲 Zambia, 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

More Stable

No countries were more stable over this period

Unchanged

🇧🇼 Botswana, 🇨🇻 Cape Verde, 🇬🇭 Ghana, 🇱🇷 Liberia, 🇳🇦 Namibia, 🇸🇳 Senegal, 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone, 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe, 🇹🇿 Tanzania, 🇬🇲 The Gambia

Regional News Summary

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a historic peace agreement in Washington, D.C., aimed at ending decades of conflict between the two nations. The deal, brokered by the United States, has been described as a significant breakthrough in regional diplomacy, with President Trump calling it a “new chapter of hope.” This agreement is expected to attract investment to the region, which has suffered from years of violence resulting in thousands of deaths and widesp

Carpe tomorrow!