Efforts are underway to get some cargo ships moving again through the Black Sea. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is pursuing a high-stakes deal with Russia, Turkey and other nations to open up Ukrainian food exports to world markets, the WSJ’s William Mauldin reports. The effort is aimed at staving off a potential global food shortage, and would have Moscow permit some Ukrainian grain shipments to get past its shipping blockade in exchange for moves to ease Russian and Belarusian exports of potash fertilizer. As one of the largest grain exporters, Ukraine exported 41.5 million metric tons of corn and wheat in the 2020-21 season, and more than 95% was shipped through the Black Sea. Russia and Belarus are key suppliers of potash, a plant nutrient that can ensure good harvests in other regions of the world. Belarusian potash is currently banned from world markets under Western sanctions.

Here are recent developments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:

Ambitions are growing in Kyiv about what would define victory for Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces take back Russian-occupied territory and Russia withdraws from the central part of the country. (WSJ)

The European Union says its economy would likely contract during the rest of this year if supplies of natural gas from Russia were to be halted soon. (WSJ)

McDonald’s says it will quit Russia and sell its business there, ending more than three decades in the country. (WSJ)

For the latest updates from Russia and Ukraine, click here

The U.S. and the European Union are on their way toward creating trans-Atlantic supply chain for critical technologies. Senior officials from both sides of the Atlantic agreed to expand cooperation on supply chains for goods including semiconductors and materials used in their production, the WSJ’s Daniel Michaels reports, the latest sign of how the past two years’ disruptions may fundamentally alter global trade flows. The sides are working through the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, and much of the work they are undertaking will take time to yield results. Still, they agreed this week on principles for coordinating research and development of semiconductors and for limiting subsidies. They are also establishing an alert mechanism to track trends in the industry and flag emerging supply issues so a shortage doesn’t recur. The EU’s Margrethe Vestager says the pandemic showed “there is a government role in a crisis situation.”

Rockwell Automation is addressing the impact of supply-chain issues by moving to build more of its high-value industrial products. Milwaukee-based Rockwell is devoting capital spending to boosting manufacturing capacity, the WSJ’s Mark Maurer reports, as it tries to cut into an sprawling backlog for its robotics-control software and other industrial-automation technologies. Rockwell is undertaking a relatively low-risk effort to bulk up production by adding people and equipment rather than new manufacturing space to its existing 2.8 million-square-foot factory footprint. That strategy is aimed at helping cut into a backlog that has more than doubled from $2 billion to $4.6 billion over the past year as parts shortfalls have crimped production. Many manufacturers are wrestling with the need to increase output, but the return on investment for new factories raises tough questions. Rockwell looks to be seeking a middle ground, adding capacity without sinking investment into new space.

China’s factory output and consumer spending tumbled in April, while growth in infrastructure investment slowed sharply. (WSJ)

U.S. health regulators moved to allow more foreign infant formula to be imported into the country. (WSJ)

Electric-vehicle startup Rivian is suing a supplier of seats, warning that a pricing dispute could affect production of an electric van ordered by Amazon. (WSJ)

JetBlue plans to launch a hostile takeover attempt for discount passenger airline Spirit. (WSJ)

Vietnam’s apparel manufacturers are facing difficulties getting raw materials from China. (Sourcing Journal)

Israeli electric vehicle start-up REE plans to build a factory in Coventry in the U.K.  (Financial Times)

Cosco Shipping Ports is extending China’s Belt and Road initiative with plans for a new deep-water port in Peru. (Nikkei Asia)

The growth of U.S. import containers through East Coast ports is outpacing inbound volumes on the West Coast. (The Loadstar)

The head of the East Coast dockworkers’ union warned against further automation at ports as West Coast contract talks began. (Journal of Commerce)

Clarksons says charter rates for ocean car carriers have hit record highs. (TradeWinds)

Florida utility Tampa Electric has curtailed coal-fired generation at a power plant because of what it says are delayed rail shipments. (Trains)

The parent of Emirates Airlines lost $1.1 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31 as revenue nearly doubled to $16.1 billion. (Associated Press)

Pietro Satriano is stepping down as CEO of food distributor US Foods and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Iacobucci will be interim CEO. (Modern Distribution Management)

Hyundai Motor and California-based pharmacy startup NowRX are testing prescription medication delivery through automated logistics services. (DC Velocity)

Ireland-based procurement automation startup Keelvar raised $24 million in a Series B funding round. (TechCrunch)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.