Financial Times says Ukraine paused drone strikes on tankers near Novorossiysk

Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine has paused drone strikes on oil tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian officials.

The report could not be immediately independently verified by Reuters.

Reported U.S. request

The Financial Times said the request was made last month after U.S. concerns that Ukrainian attacks were destabilising oil markets and affecting U.S. companies.

According to the newspaper, the concern centred on tankers carrying crude piped from Kazakhstan to a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal at Novorossiysk.

A U.S. official confirmed to the Financial Times that the administration had warned Ukraine to stop attacking non-Russian vessels in the Black Sea.

Conditions of the pause

Ukraine agreed not to target CPC infrastructure or non-Russian vessels, provided the vessels were not subject to Ukrainian sanctions and were not transporting Russian oil or cargo, the newspaper said.

The White House, State Department and Vance’s office did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment made outside business hours.

Impact on oil exports

Ukrainian forces have recently intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and other sites, saying the strikes are intended to deprive Russia of resources to finance its military.

Black Sea drone attacks reduced CPC oil loadings by as much as one-fifth in July, according to four sources familiar with the data, as the war affected exports by Kazakhstan and western oil majors.

Kazakhstan, which depends on the CPC route for crude exports, recorded a 14% decline in oil production in July compared with June, the sources said. Chevron and Exxon Mobil are among the major Western oil companies operating in Kazakhstan.