he main events by the morning: May 23

• The Council of the European Union may discuss Hungary's disenfranchisement on May 27. This country blocks almost all sanctions against Russia, delaying decision-making and demanding concessions. The European Union plans to use Article 7 of the EU Treaty to restrict Hungary's voting in the event of a threat to values such as democracy and human rights. Earlier, the Estonian Foreign Minister warned that the actions of Prime Minister Viktor Orban jeopardize the security of the bloc.

• China has confirmed its willingness to continue dialogue with the United States on tariff issues. According to CNBC, the two countries agreed to maintain open communication channels after a telephone conversation between senior officials on Thursday. Negotiations to resolve the escalated trade standoff are continuing.

• Russian wheat exports in early 2025 reached the lowest level in the last eight years. The Russian Grain Union noted that last year's harvest had been actively exported since July, but by the end of the season the «export vacuum cleaner» had dried up, and prices remained low. Currently, against the background of the strengthening of the ruble and lower export prices, the sale of wheat abroad has become unprofitable.

• A group of investors intends to acquire the OnlyFans platform for $8 billion. The possible buyer is the investment company Forest Road from Los Angeles. A popular platform for erotic content creators is looking for ways to raise capital, including going public (IPO). Leonid Radvinsky remains the sole shareholder with a fortune of $3.8 billion. OnlyFans is showing growth: in 2023, revenue amounted to $6.6 billion against $375 million in 2020.

• Starting from October 1, 2025, the digital ruble will become part of the budget process of the Russian Federation. According to the government's bill submitted to the State Duma, it will be possible to use it to pay for part of budget expenditures using the Federal Treasury account.