Ukraine has ceased drone strikes on oil tankers operating at Russia’s Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea, following a request from US Vice President JD Vance, according to Ukrainian official sources speaking to the Financial Times.
The request made last month was prompted by concerns from the United States regarding Ukraine’s actions destabilizing oil markets and harming American companies. These attacks targeted tankers transporting oil from Kazakhstan to a terminal operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) at the Russian port.
Ukraine agreed to refrain from attacking CPC infrastructure or non-Russian vessels, provided these vessels are not subject to Ukrainian sanctions and do not transport Russian oil or goods, as reported by the Financial Times.
The White House, State Department, and Vance’s office did not respond immediately to Reuters’ inquiries outside of business hours. The news agency noted that it could not independently verify the information.
Recently, Ukrainian forces have intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and other targets in an effort to deprive Russia of the resources needed to fund its military efforts.
Drone strikes in the Black Sea reportedly eliminated up to one-fifth of CPC’s oil shipments in July, according to four sources familiar with the data, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated, impacting Kazakhstan’s sales and Western oil companies.
Kazakhstan, which relies on the CPC route for its oil exports, experienced a 14% decline in oil production in July compared to June, as sources indicated.
Major Western oil companies operating in the region include Chevron and Exxon Mobil.
An American official confirmed to the Financial Times that the Trump administration had warned Ukraine to halt attacks on non-Russian vessels in the Black Sea.
