FT: The US Vice President Vance, in a conversation with President Zelensky, asked to stop attacks on tankers in the Black Sea

On July 31, during a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the US Vice President J.D. Vance asked Ukraine to stop attacking oil tankers in the Black Sea.

This is reported by the Financial Times, citing Ukrainian officials.

In particular, Washington did not like that Ukraine was destabilizing oil markets and attacking American companies. This is due to the fact that Ukraine was attacking ships transporting oil from Kazakhstan to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal located in the port of Novorossiysk.

The big American energy companies Chevron and ExxonMobil have stakes in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and in western Kazakhstan oil fields. Due to Ukrainian attacks in July, only 1.3 million barrels of oil per day were loaded onto the CPC, more than 300 000 barrels less than in June.

A Financial Times source reported that Ukraine agreed to Vanceʼs request because Kyiv wants to obtain a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.

• Earlier, Bloomberg, citing sources, wrote that Ukraine promised the US not to attack the Caspian pipeline. According to sources, Kyiv promised the US not to attack ships going to it, provided that they are not under Ukrainian sanctions, do not transport Russian cargo, and do not belong to Russian individuals or legal entities.

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