Russia has made two interest payments on dollar-denominated debt in rubles, the country's finance ministry said Thursday, as Moscow faces the risk of an external debt default.

"Funds for the payment of coupons on external bonds of the Russian Federation maturing in 2027 and 2047 in the total amount of 12.51 billion rubles (the equivalent of £234.85

Nike will make a complete departure from Russia in the coming months, Reuters reported Thursday, citing an emailed statement from the company.

The exit comes nearly four months after the U.S. athletic-wear giant suspended its Russian operations on March 3 following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. 

"Nike has made the decision to leave the Russian

The first shipments of smartphones and game consoles under Russia’s so-called “parallel import” scheme have arrived in the country, Kommersant newspaper reported Thursday.

The scheme was was designed as a way to maintain imports of consumer goods into Russia despite Western sanctions and an exodus of Western firms from the Russian market. 

Mobile

EU leaders met on Thursday to discuss Ukraine's bid to join the bloc, even as tensions between Brussels and Moscow deepened over gas and Russia closed in on key cities in the embattled Donbas.

"This is a decisive moment for the European Union... A choice must be made today that will determine the future of the union, our stability, our security and