The IMF has struck a deal with Ukraine to provide a $15.6bn loan, some former central bankers say pausing rate increases because of the banking sector turmoil would be a mistake, shares of First Republic Bank rallied after US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said the government stood ready to provide further support for smaller lenders, and China's leader Xi Jinping has backed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s stance on his war in Ukraine but refrained from endorsing his statements about a planned gas pipeline. Mentioned in this podcast:Ukraine clinches $15.6bn IMF loanFormer officials split on what central banks should do next Janet Yellen says US prepared to give more support to banksXi Jinping backs Vladimir Putin on Ukraine but holds out on Russian gas pipelineDownload the FT Edit app here: ft.com/fteditThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.