• Turkey’s presidential election appears to be headed for a May 28 runoff after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu failed to secure a majority of the vote on Sunday. Momentum is now widely seen to be on Erdogan’s side, but opposition politicians claimed that vote tallies reported by state media do not match their own figures collected directly from polling stations, which show Kilicdaroglu in the lead. (The New York Times)
• Thailand’s main opposition party, Pheu Thai, has agreed to form a coalition with the upstart anti-monarchy Move Forward party after they inflicted a stunning defeat over the ruling military-backed parties in Sunday’s election. Pheu Thai said it would back Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat in his efforts to form a government with him as prime minister, but the coalition’s control of the legislature is tenuous and may be stymied by the junta-appointed Senate. (Reuters)
• G-7 leaders plan to step up efforts to crack down on Russian sanctions evasion involving third countries at their summit in Japan this week. Separately, U.S. officials hope the group will agree to automatically ban all exports of certain categories of goods unless they are on a list of approved items. (Reuters)
• Papua New Guinea is scheduled to host U.S. President Joe Biden following the G-7 summit in what would be the first visit to the country by a sitting American president. The two countries are expected to sign a defense cooperation agreement that would allow U.S. troops to use key ports and airports on the island. (Nikkei Asia)

Happening today (all times Eastern):

• 4 p.m. Brookings Institution event on the future of U.S.-Brazil relations featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Thomas Shannon. 

The Graphic Truth: Eurovision – beating swords into microphones, sort of

GZero

G7 finance ministers warn of ‘uncertainty’ on global economy

Kana Inagaki, Financial Times 

Officials say regulatory gaps in the banking system need to be addressed

G7 and EU to ban restart of Russian gas pipelines

Henry Foy et al., Financial Times 

The curbs would be the first to target Moscow’s pipeline exports since invasion of Ukraine.

G-7 vows to take ‘necessary’ steps to stop Russia evading sanctions

Sayumi Take, Nikkei Asia 

Ministers agree to launch framework for countering Chinese supply chain dominance.

From India to Indonesia, G-7 invitees aim to be heard in Hiroshima 

Kiran Sharma, Nikkei Asia 

Modi’s G-20 perch presents chance to highlight debt, development in ‘Global South’.

Trade tensions simmer ahead of EU-India summit 

Mark Scott and Barbara Moens, Politico

The inaugural EU-India Trade and Technology Council Summit will have to overcome thorny questions between two of the world’s largest democracies.

Venture capital crunch will hit India harder than U.S., China

Henny Sender, Nikkei Asia 

Startups face valuation hangovers and fewer public fundraising options.

India, ASEAN Hold First Maritime Exercises

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, The Diplomat 

India has long used its navy to build ties with maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, but this exercise steps up collaboration by tying up with ASEAN as a group.

At least three killed as powerful storm batters Myanmar
Poppy McPherson et al., Reuters 

At least three people were killed, 13 injured and more than 1,000 buildings were damaged when Cyclone Mocha pummelled western Myanmar, state-run media said on Monday.

Russia sent over 1K tons of wheat flour to North Korea, state agency says

Ifang Bremer, NK News 

April shipment is latest in series of grain exports to DPRK in recent months, as Pyongyang stresses food production.

Zelensky Visits Germany, Praising Weapons Pledge and Seeking Jets

Erika Solomon, The New York Times 

The Ukrainian president was received with military honors in Berlin, where he thanked Germany’s leaders for standing with his country.

France pledges more military aid as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy makes surprise Paris visit to meet Macron

John Leicester and Frank Jordans, The Associated Press

France pledged additional military aid for Ukraine on Sunday, including light tanks, armored vehicles, training for soldiers and other assistance as the Ukrainians gear up for a counteroffensive against Russian forces, following surprise talks in Paris between the Ukrainian and French presidents.

UK to promise more weapons for Ukraine as Sunak meets Zelenskyy

George Parker et al., Financial Times 

Ukrainian president visits Britain after meetings in France, Germany and Italy.

Belarus leader Lukashenko in hospital, reports say

Raphael Minder, Financial Times 

President misses national event after struggling in Russia last week.

‘Bakhmut Trap’: Ukrainian Advances Vindicate Defense of Besieged City

Ian Lovett and Stephen Kalin, The Wall Street Journal

Kyiv drains Russian troops by doggedly defending Bakhmut in 10-month battle of attrition.

Top Chinese envoy heads to Ukraine, Russia in Europe ‘peace’ tour

Al Jazeera 

Fluent Russian speaker Li Hui is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ukraine since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Serbia: Guns, grenades and rocket launchers among 13,500 weapons surrendered after mass shootings

Jovana Gec, The Associated Press

Authorities in Serbia on Sunday displayed stacks of guns and cartons of hand grenades from the thousands of weapons, including anti-tank rocket launchers, that they said people handed over since back-to-back mass shootings stunned the Balkan nation.

Greece’s ‘greatest turnround’: from junk to investment grade

Eleni Varvitsioti et al., Financial Times 

After more than a decade of bailouts and painful austerity measures, the country has rebounded.

Argentina plans emergency economic measures to avoid big devaluation
Michael Stott, Financial Times 

Central bank to raise interest rates to 97% and step up currency intervention.

Bolivian EV startup hopes tiny car will make it big in lithium-rich country

Carlos Valdez, The Associated Press

On a recent, cold morning, Dr. Carlos Ortuño hopped into a tiny electric car to go check on a patient in the outskirts of Bolivia’s capital of La Paz, unsure if the vehicle would be able to handle the steep, winding streets of the high-altitude city.

Israel and Islamic Jihad agree on cease-fire to end 5 days of fighting

Fares Akram and Josef Federman, The Associated Press

Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group in the Gaza Strip agreed to an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire late Saturday, seeking to halt five days of intense fighting that killed 33 Palestinians, including at least 13 civilians. Two people in Israel were killed by rocket fire.

Sudan’s military chief freezes bank accounts of rival paramilitary group amid truce attempts

The Associated Press

Sudan’s military chief has ordered the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to a rival paramilitary force. The two sides have battled for weeks across Sudan, pushing the troubled country to the brink of all-out war.

Twitter Restricts Content in Turkey Ahead of Elections

Inti Pacheco, The Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk said in a tweet the company had to choose between limiting access or being throttled completely.

UN to commemorate Palestinians’ 1948 flight from Israel for the first time

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

For the first time, the United Nations will officially commemorate the flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from what is now Israel on the 75th anniversary of their exodus — an action stemming from the U.N.’s partition of British-ruled Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.

White House and Republicans start to shape debt ceiling deal 

James Politi and Lauren Fedor, Financial Times 

Scope of agreement begins to emerge as talks intensify in bid to avoid unprecedented national default

Ambitious agenda for Biden on upcoming three-nation Indo-Pacific trip as debt default looms at home

Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press

President Joe Biden has an ambitious agenda when he sets off this week on an eight-day trip to the Indo-Pacific.

Mexican border crossings are down 50% since Title 42 expiration, homeland security chief says

Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters 

U.S. border patrol agents have seen a 50% drop in the number of migrants crossing the border since the pandemic-era immigration policy known as Title 42 expired at midnight on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday.

There may be more ‘Chinese police stations” in Canada, minister says

Anna Mehler Paperny, Reuters 

There may be more “Chinese police stations” operating in Canada, the Public Safety Minister told a Canadian TV station on Sunday, months after police said they were investigating whether two community centers in Montreal were being used to intimidate or harass Canadians of Chinese origin.

U.S. fighter jets intercept Russian planes near Alaska

Dan Whitcomb, Reuters 

U.S. fighter jets intercepted six Russian aircraft operating in international airspace near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Sunday.

The New EV Gold-Rush: Automakers Scramble to Get Into Mining

Mike Colias and Scott Patterson, The Wall Street Journal

A scarcity of EV battery materials pushes car companies and miners to work closer together; for both, there is a learning curve.

Rules for Pentagon Use of Proxy Forces Shed Light on a Shadowy War Power

Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times 

Newly disclosed documents include Special Operations forces directives for managing counterterrorism and irregular warfare surrogate fighters.