The main events by the morning: April 28

• Zelensky is ready to abandon the demands to return Crimea. This was stated by Donald Trump. According to him, Zelensky behaved more calmly during the meeting of politicians in the Vatican. Trump believes that the president of Ukraine is ready to conclude an agreement. Earlier, Zelensky stated that he would never recognize the peninsula as the territory of the Russian Federation, as this contradicts the Ukrainian constitution.

• China's economy is showing resilience to the duties imposed by Trump. In March, the profits of industrial enterprises increased by 2.6% compared to the same period last year, which indicates that duties have not yet had a significant negative impact on the country's economy. Earlier, China announced the preparation of contingency plans to protect against growing external threats.

• Fertilizer exports from Russia to the EU have peaked since July 2024 at 178.8 million euros. The share of Russian companies in EU fertilizer imports exceeded 26%, and the volume of supplies increased by 8.4%, reaching 505 thousand tons. Poland remained the largest buyer, importing fertilizers worth 68.2 million euros, although the volume decreased by 1%. Romania increased purchases by 4.6 times to €31.2 million, and Slovenia – by 5.8 times to €5.6 million, while Greece significantly reduced imports, reducing it by 19 times to €108,000. 

• Russian companies will pay dividends in the amount of 2.03 trillion rubles, which is 3% more than last year. Almost half will come from dividends from representatives of the financial sector, led by Sberbank. However, this dividend season does not promise a positive impact on the stock market. Most of the funds will be reinvested in bonds as long as yields remain at a high level.

• The Russian authorities hope to receive 1 trillion rubles through the development of minerals in new areas. Experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will study about 70 sites where strategically important minerals, including rare earth metals, are believed to be contained. These sites are located in the Far East, Siberia, the Arctic, as well as in four new regions. The authorities expect to receive 1 trillion rubles in taxes by 2030, as well as create 30,000 new jobs.