Zelensky halts drone strikes on Black Sea oil tankers in Russian port after demand from US VP Vance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky halted Ukraine's drone strikes on Black Sea oil tankers after a request from US Vice President JD Vance, according to The Financial Times. The US was concerned that strikes on tankers carrying Kazakh crude to the CPC terminal in Novorossiysk harmed American companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil. Vance asked Zelensky to stop the attacks during a call on July 31, and since then Ukraine has not struck tankers at the terminal. Ukraine agreed not to target non-Russian ships unless sanctioned or carrying Russian cargo. Zelensky agreed partly to secure a license to produce Patriot missiles promised by President Trump.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky halted Ukraine's drone campaign against oil tankers in the Black Sea following a request from US Vice President JD Vance, as reported by The Financial Times, citing Ukrainian officials. The US was upset that Kyiv was harming American companies by targeting tankers carrying crude oil from Kazakhstan to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Russia's Novorossiysk port. Vance asked Zelensky to stop the attacks during a call on July 31, and since then Ukraine has not struck tankers at the CPC terminal. Ukraine agreed not to target non-Russian ships, provided they are not sanctioned by Ukraine or carrying Russian cargo. A senior Ukrainian official said Ukraine listens carefully to American partners and established mechanisms in response. The drone campaign aimed to cut off Kremlin revenue and bring the war to Russia. A US official confirmed the report, calling CPC a vital conduit for Kazakhstan-origin energy for European markets. US companies Chevron and ExxonMobil own stakes in CPC. This is not the first US request; in February, the State Department issued a démarche over strikes on Novorossiysk. The strikes caused turmoil in oil markets, leading Kazakhstan to stop piping oil and doubling shipping rates. In a July 17 attack, a ship chartered by Exxon was hit. Vance has been combative with Zelensky, and Zelensky agreed partly to secure a license to produce Patriot missiles promised by President Trump. Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on Russian oil infrastructure in August.