The US has reportedly asked Kyiv to stop hitting Russian oil refineries in fear of rising crude prices and retaliatory actions, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing three unnamed officials reportedly familiar with the discussions.
The nationality of the unnamed sources has not been established.
The FT report said the wishes were relayed to senior officials at Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), neither of which commented on FT’s inquiries.
One unnamed official reportedly said the White House had grown increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks on oil facilities across western Russia, which hurt Russia’s oil production capacity.
FT also said the US is concerned with potential retaliatory actions by Moscow on energy infrastructure, such as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline used by Western firms such as ExxonMobil and Chevron that transports oil globally from Kazakhstan through Russia.
This FT report came amidst a series of recent successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities ahead of Russia’s presidential election on March 15-17, which saw incumbent president Vladimir Putin win by a landslide victory in an election whose legitimacy has been questioned.
Kyiv’s maturing drone capabilities have enabled Ukraine to strike deep within Russian territory, leaving the majority of oil refineries in western Russia at risk – 60 percent of Moscow’s oil exports, according to former CIA analyst Helima Croft.
Ukraine Jails Couple for Helping Russia Strike Hospital
The goal of the strikes has been to deprive Moscow of its oil revenue, which it has used to finance its invasion of Ukraine despite Western sanctions.
In October 2023, Moscow netted $11.3 billion through oil exports, surpassing pre-war levels. This prompted the US to step up measures to enforce the G7 $60 per barrel price cap and introduce more secondary sanctions later.
However, the FT report also hinted that Washington is concerned by the rising crude prices, which could ultimately affect US President Joe Biden’s chance of being re-elected.
“Nothing terrifies a sitting American president more than a surge in pump prices during an election year,” said Bob McNally, resident of consultancy Rapidan Energy and a former White House energy adviser under George W. Bush, as reported by the FT.
However, McNally is also a Republican who has criticized Biden’s oil policies in the past, so a word of caution is advised, where words can come with an agenda even when true.
If the words of the unnamed officials did represent the view of the Biden administration, it could be perceived as a somewhat paradoxical stance.
On the one hand, it’s known that Russia continues to profit off its oil exports. Disrupting the supply from its sources and depriving Moscow of income is a logical approach to fending off Russia’s invasion.
However, like any other action, it is not without consequences – sometimes collateral damage, and in this case, rising oil prices could affect the global market and US interests.
An alternative would be to help Kyiv fend off the attacks and rely on sanctions to curtail Russian income. However, a $60 billion aid package that would help Kyiv to defend itself continues to stall in the US Congress, and the effectiveness of sanctions remains questionable as Moscow’s economy continues to grow and fund its war machine despite the sanctions.
Mix in the continued Russian missile strikes on Ukraine – as has been the case the last two days – and many Ukrainians are expressing frustration and anger with Washington.
However, since the Biden administration continues to be Kyiv’s biggest military backer, at least, in real terms, its requests to not hit Russian oil refineries – if true – would likely be treated with great caution by Kyiv, which must firstly consider its people’s safety as it balances the interests of its allies and the will of the Ukrainian people.
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Comments (13)
@Jack THE MRGA troll FROM russia IS A SHAMELESS PSYCHOPATH,
Not all my posting are worth reading jack.....just the ones that debunk lies MRGA spreads. For me its about exposing putinrump's many mistruths: I will illustrate it with the simple "Sharpie gate" weather story: From CNN:
"Trump tweeted in 2019 that Alabama was one of the states at greater risk from Hurricane Dorian than had been initially forecast. The federal weather office in Birmingham then tweeted that, actually, Alabama would be unaffected by the storm. Not great, but fixable fast with a simple White House correction.
Trump, however, is so congenitally unwilling to admit error that he embarked on an increasingly farcical campaign to prove that his incorrect Alabama tweet was actually correct, eventually showcasing a hurricane map that was crudely altered with a Sharpie.
The slapstick might have been funny had White House officials not leaped into action behind the scenes to try to pressure federal weather experts into saying he was right and they were wrong. The saga proved that Trump was not some lone liar: he was backed by an entire powerful apparatus willing to fight for his fabrications."
There are similar stories for every day of that man's disasterous term. His MRGA movement is entirely built on lies and half truths.
@JUST THE MRGA CULT's troll Jack DOING WHAT IT DOES BEST: ABJECT INCOMPETENCE,
Hi MRGA troll Jack: Which fact about putinrump makes him your preferred leader?
1. Impeachments for requesting Russia help him win the US election and then obstructing justice?
2. Impeachments for fomenting an insurrection with 'debunked stolen election' lies?
3. When he tried to coerce Ukraine to tell lies about Joe Biden in exchange for releasing congressionally approved aid?
4. The 4000 lawsuits and 6 bankruptcies he was involved in before becoming president.
5. The 91 subsequent felony charges.
6. His 3/23 Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp convicted of 17 felonies, including tax fraud and falsifying business records and fined 1.6 million.
7. His 23 & 24 sexual assault fines that cost him $88.3 million.
8. His 2/24 fraud fines which cost him $464 million.
9. Pardoning close allies who took the fall for him (Stone - Witness tampering; Papadopoulos - -Russia election coercion, Manafort- trump tax fraud, Saucier -stolen defence info, Libby - Obstruction of justice; perjury, D'Souza - Campaign fraud, Alex Rolf van der Zwaan - Russian election interference perjury,)
10. Many more pardons in exchange for campaign donations or lies about election.
11. Telling MRGA minions in House to stall Ukraine Aid.
So you folks rag on President-elect Trump, Republicans, and the concept of MAGA, and this is the abject stupid bullshit that spews from the White House currently occupied by an illegitimate placeholder.
You shameless idiots are blind fools.
Stop hitting them where it hurts? NO. Ukraine has followed every BS rule that "WE" impose on them for the privilege of using some of our weapons. They fight one arm tied behind their back, on 1 foot, dont cross your own border, ENOUGH. When Ukraine gave up their nuclear program they were promised security...we didnt honor that agreement. But they STILL keep their word, so because of my governments lack of trustworthiness, all bets should be off. Ukraine, start building the centrifuges for uranium enrichment. You arent bound by Budapest memos lack of credibility anymore. You were the ONLY nation whos word still counts. Russia is a cesspool, i love my country but if we make a promise, it better be taken seriously and when we fail to keep our promise we now are in your debt. Anyone who disagrees, is also a guilty party. The US and UK are both in debt to Ukraine because of this. If 45 and his cult of feeble minded slaves blocks funds, too bad, people are dying, start loading every ATACMS you can find, stop making everything take 10 times longer than it should, how long did it take to put 31 m1a1s in country? Too Fuc%#ng long!! Asking them to fight NATO style...1 problem, Ukraine isnt in your club, you want them to accept NATO playbook, make them #33 and send an invitation to putin to join the festivities in Brussels, you have let thousands of Ukrainians die when you refused to take action on promises you made. Seein this bs set me off.
Slava Ukraini Heroiam Slava
@Fed up American, President Zero was the one who refused to honor the agreement signed under Clinton. Great post. Spot-on!
Would the Russian regime collapse afterwards on Ukrainian lands as it did in the 1980s and 1990s ?
Would lower energy prices driven by middle eastern oil supply increase make the Russian federation disintegrate or withdraw from Ukrainian territories ?
God knows and everything is possible ...
Peace and love ...
willingly! but as soon as NATO enters Ukraine. Ukrainians' asses are quite worn out and they need new asses with excellent weapons!
I dont mind paying more. F off Washington. This is a war!
The US turns it's back on Ukraine and forces it into a strategy of cutting off russian income to fund the war. Then US officials request them to stop it? Anybody else spot the hypocrisy here? US officials need to go sit in a corner somewhere and shut-up!!
I trust no one in Ukraine will listen to these weak Americans who have abandoned Ukriane. No more weapons from the USA, also all the restrictions placed upon Ukriane is crazy cowardice.
I remind the world the USA forced Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons but what few understand Ukraine had to give up 10's of thousands non-nuclear all given to Russia. Today Russia uses these weapons to attack Ukraine.
The weak AMericans are appalling to sit back and watch Ukrainians die, cities being destroyed all the atrocities being committed... yes just let Russia do what they want...in Ukraine.
the money from Russia that is buying support in the USA is appalling... but the oligarch clan is eager to sell out... the GOP is a Putin Party team today.
The USA is on the verge of becoming a "failed State" Putin's influence is strong there, weak minded people who believe any lie and deceit. no different than Russians... same weakness.
The USA can go pound salt . Maybe the USA can tell Russia to go back to it's own borders .
We don't yet know the actual conversation between Ukraine and USA leadership.
The article puts the US republican aligned source of this inflammatory information in its proper context.
“Nothing terrifies a sitting American president more than a surge in pump prices during an election year,” said Bob McNally, resident of consultancy Rapidan Energy and a former White House energy adviser under George W. Bush, as reported by the FT. However, McNally is also a Republican who has criticized Biden’s oil policies in the past, so a word of caution is advised, where words can come with an agenda even when true."
It is fair game for the victim nation to fight back against the aggressor (putin) in legal ways that benefit its defence. Striking war logistical supplies is legal and smart.
If it mattered that much to the Biden governed that Ukraine didn't, they would have figured out how to sideline the MRGA aid stallers in the US House and improved your defensive capabilities.
You are not obliged to stay in a US designated boundary and be sitting ducks as putin lobs missiles at you.
Fire away Ukraine.
@John, You are a shameless dumbfuck, dumbfuck. It is the Executive Branch who has control over foreign affairs, dumbbuck. This is coming out of the White House, dumbfuck. Did I educate you dumbfuck? Of course not, dumbfuck. You're too stupid to educate, dumbfuck.
@troll. Jack THE LOON IS A HOPELESS romantic for rump,
Hi MRGA troll Jack.
Glad you agreed with me that Ukraine should continue to blow up what ever it wants in russia provided it's a legal target of war.....which everything it has targeted to date has been. Ukraine is cleverly following NATO's own war doctrine so even it can't complain with being hypocritical.
I think we all know which party the oil lobby money in the the USA goes to......and the weapons industry money too for that matter. No wonder the GOP has stall the Ukraine aid and now tells Ukraine through back channels to stop doing what it needs to do to win the this war....no wonder Mr. Graham was just there.
Thanks goodness criminal (4091 lawsuits), extortionist (1st impeachment) putinrump was not in office or Ukraine would never had made it this far. As is well known the Biden government spent all the money available to support Ukraine, but its now putinrump's MRGA gang continuing to stall the congressional approval his administration needs to send more. We can question what weapons he sent, but not how much he sent. Putinrump in contrast openly says "NOT A PENNY" to Ukraine.
Glad you have come around on spanking putinrump for his unethical disposition. With your inside MRGA influence we can keep putinrump where he belongs...russia or jail...maybe even a russian jail under new leadership there.
Also glad did not pay too much for that education of yours.....
@JOhn, hey shirtbird! Please don’t confuse me with someone else who shares my low opinion of your dumb ass. IMO it’s all the Covid shots you took that made you brain dead, but maybe you are just naturally stupid. In any event go fuck yourself.
@MRGA troll jack pretending to be Joseph Swanson,
Hi troll Jack. It's not polite to pretend to be someone else. It would be better if you could at least come close to emulating their writing style, choice of words, sentiment about the big issues . You keep practicing though and you might actually get promoted a bit at MRGA.
I was watching a British commodity yesterday where after putler....putinrump... I mean Hitler, committed suicide, his second in command got promoted.....but only long enough to surrender to the allies. Still being a silly person, it was a career aspiration for him even if he only got to be further for 10 minutes. Sadly this will not be for fate as you will not rise in the MRGA ranks far given your poor level of effort as a troll.
Still, thanks for your concern for my health and your ongoing effort to read EVERYTHING I write, even though I know that takes a lot of your "nanoseconds" you always then benevolently provide actionable constructive feedback.
@John is a Fucking Imbecile! Hey dipshit, more blah, blah, blah. Do your school homework this weekend and GFY.
Hier zie je dat het er bij de Amerikanen in bestaat hooguit de eigen belangen te dekken.
Oekraïne wordt aangevallen maar mag niet buiten de eigen grenzen aanvallen.
Oekraïne wordt onder luid geroep geholpen zolang als nodig is, niet dus!
Oekraïne doet wat elk normaal land in de verdediging zou doen, de economie van de vijand schaden omdat de Amerikanen vinden dat dat ongezond is voor de wereldmarkt?
I hope the unnamed officials in Washington were told that Ukraine wishes to receive the support it was promised before they can consider changing their tactics.
@Mark,
The US favors its oil producing companies profiting from oil prices .Why wouldn't they tell its allies like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait to increase production ? Russian money is influencing the US politics because they could send packages of weapons to Ukraine ...These western officials are benefiting from the natural resources of Russia directly or indirectly...
@Hope, Hey Hope, you continue to spew uninformed stupidity. Joe BRIBEn reduced the daily output of oil and gas in the United States on his first day in office. Prices on the world market skyrocketed from some $35 to $45 a barrel to over $100 a barred. That's how Russia and Iran became rich that enabled them to engage in their current war criminal terrorists acts. Please. Stop being a shameless dumbshit.
@troll jack IS STUPID BEYOND ALL REPAIR,
Now for countering jack daily putin's propaganda.
US oil production actually rose by 500k barrels under President Biden beyond the best year ever production during rump's term......to counter the impact of global oil sanctions he imposed to lower putins' revenue. At a record 12.8 million barrels per day last year that far exceeded Saudi Arabia (2nd place) at 10 million barrels / day.
A US Federal report published 8/9/23 has further detail if trolls still have access to google. As cleaner alternatives become more entrenched, production can be reduced again.
There s no need for methane spewing putinrumps.
Troll jack, you are becoming too easy to debunk. Please try harder. Put some more nanoseconds into your responses. The game of troll bashing has to be fun for everyone, and you are starting to bore us all with your repetitive posts. You are making it too easy to bash trolls. New content please. You can do it jack...Good boy.
@ Jack,
Trump has fooled all the MAGA trailer park folks, you think you have something in common with him? try and get into his golf club, security will escort you out.
He has picked the wrong demographic, he has lost the wealthy conservatives in favor of the toothless broke hill billies who won't climb off their sister long enough to go vote.
@Sam, tell us more about your family reunions.