US Vice President JD Vance asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to avoid attacking a key Kazakh oil export route through Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to Ukrainian officials and others familiar with the discussions cited by the Financial Times.
Vance made the request during a July 31 phone call with Zelensky as Washington sought to prevent attacks that could disrupt global oil markets and affect US companies involved in transporting Kazakh crude through Russia.
Ukraine agreed not to target infrastructure belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) or non-Russian vessels, unless they are under Ukrainian sanctions or carrying Russian oil or other Russian cargo, the FT reported.
Ukraine has not attacked tankers near the CPC terminal since the request was made.
A US administration official confirmed that Washington had warned Kyiv against attacking non-Russian vessels in the Black Sea and CPC infrastructure, describing the pipeline as a vital route for delivering Kazakh energy to European markets as an alternative to Russian supplies.
The CPC pipeline carries oil from Kazakhstan to a terminal near Novorossiysk. It handles about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports and nearly 2% of global crude supplies, according to Reuters. US companies Chevron and ExxonMobil hold stakes in the consortium and in major Kazakh oil fields served by the route.
Ukraine Hits Russian Naval Base
The agreement does not cover Russian military targets at Novorossiysk.
Ukraine struck Russia’s naval base there on Aug. 12, using Neptune missiles, Palyanytsia jet-powered drones and unmanned maritime systems, Zelensky said Wednesday.
He described the attack, carried out more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the front line, as a “unique operation” against what he called the Russian fleet’s last major stronghold in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian weapons hit Russian air defense positions, naval piers and port infrastructure, according to Zelensky.
The targets identified by Kyiv were separate from the CPC terminal and the non-Russian tankers that Ukraine has reportedly agreed to spare.
Patriot Missiles Part of the Calculation
A person familiar with Kyiv’s position told the Financial Times that Ukraine accepted the Trump administration’s request partly because it is seeking US authorization to manufacture interceptors for the Patriot air defense system.
Kyiv also hopes to purchase several hundred Patriot missiles before winter, when Russia is expected to intensify attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, the person said.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia’s oil industry in an effort to reduce the revenue available to finance Moscow’s war. The Novorossiysk operation highlights Kyiv’s effort to distinguish between Russian military infrastructure and international energy assets operating through the same port.