US Vice President J.D. Vance has reportedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease attacks on oil facilities belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, which cited reports from the Financial Times, Washington has explicitly demanded that Kyiv refrain from targeting tankers and energy infrastructure in the Black Sea that lack direct military connections to Russia.
The reports indicate that following a telephone conversation between Vance and Zelenskyy on July 31, the Ukrainian side has suspended intensive drone attacks against oil tankers and CPC infrastructure in the Black Sea. Bloomberg has corroborated these reports, noting that the White House administration issued a stern warning to Ukraine regarding the targeting of vessels not directly linked to Russian military operations.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium serves as a critical artery for global energy security, facilitating the transport of oil from the Caspian region to international markets. The pipeline, spanning approximately 1,500 kilometers, connects oil fields in Western Kazakhstan to the Black Sea coast. Notably, more than 80 percent of Kazakhstan's total oil exports are transported via this route, making it a vital component of the regional energy supply chain. The diplomatic intervention follows an incident on July 30, when the CPC press service reported that two tankers near its Black Sea marine terminal were targeted by drone strikes, leading to a temporary suspension of oil loading operations.
