The US secretary of state has poured cold water on hopes of a diplomatic settlement to the war in Ukraine, saying there were no signs Vladimir Putin was “prepared to stop” Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, JPMorgan has processed interest payments sent by the Russian government for two of the country’s bonds, and the London Metal Exchange suspended electronic trading in nickel on Wednesday, just after it reopened for business following a week-long shutdown.Mentioned in this podcast:US pours cold water on hopes of a Ukraine settlementRussia edges closer to averting default as JPMorgan processes bond paymentLondon Metal Exchange suffers fresh glitch during nickel tradingWar in Ukraine: free to read The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.