Goldman Sachs expects global central bank gold purchases in August of 79 tonnes, well above the pre-2022 average of 17 tonnes.

US Secretary of State Rubio said on Monday in Uzbekistan that Ukraine and Russia should strive to end their conflict and that the president’s position is clear — he wants the fighting to stop. Rubio, who arrived in Samarkand, will meet senior officials under the C5+1 format covering the US and five Muslim-majority ex‑Soviet states: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. He warned the war produces no benefits and raises risks of escalation and regional spillover, noting scenarios such as failed sabotage or drones diverted into neighboring countries by electronic-warfare interference.

Russian Defence Ministry said Russian forces struck military-industrial facilities, cruise missile storage sites and data centers in Ukraine.