Photo: EPA
US Vice President JD Vance personally asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop drone attacks on oil tankers heading to the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea, the Financial Times reported, citing Ukrainian officials.
The request came after the Trump administration accused Ukraine of destabilizing global oil markets and harming US companies by targeting tankers carrying Kazakh oil transported through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to the Novorossiysk terminal. The pipeline is linked to major US energy companies Chevron and ExxonMobil.
Ukraine agreed not to target CPC infrastructure or non-Russian vessels, provided they are not under Ukrainian sanctions and are not carrying Russian oil or cargo.
According to four sources familiar with the data, Ukrainian drone attacks in the Black Sea disrupted up to one-fifth of CPC oil shipments in July. The attacks have increasingly affected Kazakhstan's oil exports and the operations of Western energy companies.
The agreement does not prevent Ukraine from targeting other Russian energy facilities. Ukrainian drones can still strike Russian military logistics in occupied territories, Crimea and other areas used to support Russia's war effort.
The conversation between Zelenskyy and Vance took place on July 31. Among the issues discussed were the consequences of Russia's war for global markets.
In July, Ukrainian forces also carried out a series of attacks against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," targeting dozens of oil tankers and support vessels in the Black and Azov seas.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has demanded that Ukraine stop attacking vessels transporting Kazakh oil through CPC infrastructure and has warned that it could take the matter to international arbitration.
