Quiet in the Black Sea: Vance's demand halts Ukrainian operation
US Vice President J.D. Vance demanded that Volodymyr Zelensky cease offensive operations against oil tankers in the Black Sea. The move aims to prevent shocks to global energy markets and protect American economic interests.
Ukraine has halted an intensive drone strike operation against oil tankers using the main Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea, after US Vice President J.D. Vance demanded it do so late last month, the Financial Times reported this morning (Wednesday), citing Ukrainian sources.
According to the report, the request was conveyed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a conversation with Vance on July 31. Since then, according to the same sources and based on an analysis of open-source data conducted by the Financial Times, Ukraine has not attacked tankers near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal at the port of Novorossiysk.
Washington's concern stemmed from the fact that Ukrainian strikes were also targeting tankers carrying crude oil flowing from Kazakhstan to the CPC terminal. The US administration feared that the move would add instability to oil markets and harm the interests of American companies.
According to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv agreed not to target CPC infrastructure or non-Russian vessels, provided they are not subject to Ukrainian sanctions and are not transporting Russian oil or other Russian cargo. "We listen very carefully to our American partners," a senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times, adding that Kyiv had established appropriate "mechanisms" following the American request.
The Financial Times notes that two American energy giants, Chevron and ExxonMobil, hold stakes in the CPC, which serves as the main export route for oil from Kazakhstan. A US official confirmed that the administration had warned Ukraine against attacking non-Russian vessels in the Black Sea, emphasizing that the CPC is a vital route for transporting energy to Europe.
A person familiar with Ukraine's position stated that Kyiv agreed to the Trump administration's demand, partly because it is seeking a license from the US to produce Patriot-type interceptor missiles. Ukraine hopes to purchase several hundred such interceptors before winter, a period when Russia is expected to increase air strikes against critical infrastructure. During the July 31 conversation, Zelensky told Vance that Patriot systems and air defense are Kyiv's "top priority."
Parallel to stopping strikes in the CPC area, Ukraine has increased its activity against Russian energy infrastructure elsewhere, hitting three oil refineries deep inside Russia this month.
