Ukrainian officials have disclosed that, at the request of US Vice President J.D. Vance late last month, Ukraine has paused large-scale drone attacks on tankers docked at a key Black Sea port. The US is deeply concerned that Ukraine's continued strikes on oil-carrying tankers could further destabilize the international oil market while harming American business interests. The crude oil on these tankers is transported via pipeline from Kazakhstan to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal in Russia's Novorossiysk port.

According to Ukrainian officials and multiple sources familiar with the matter, during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 31, Vance asked Ukraine to cease such attacks. Citing media analysis of public intelligence, officials stated that since that call, Ukraine has not launched any further strikes on tankers near the CPC terminal. Ukrainian officials said an agreement was reached: as long as vessels are not on Ukraine's sanctions list and are not carrying Russian crude or other Russian goods, Ukraine will not target CPC infrastructure or attack non-Russian ships. A senior Ukrainian official stated, "We take the requests of our American partners seriously," adding that Kyiv has established a corresponding mechanism to address the US demands. The official also noted that CPC-related issues have been a regular topic in discussions between Ukraine, the US, and the Kazakh government.

Two major US energy giants, Chevron and ExxonMobil, both hold stakes in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). This pipeline is the primary export route for Kazakhstan's crude oil, and both companies also have stakes in the western Kazakhstan oil fields that supply it. Chevron holds a 50% stake in Kazakhstan's largest oil field, Tengiz, while ExxonMobil holds 25%. A US official confirmed that the US government has warned Ukraine not to attack non-Russian ships in the Black Sea and to refrain from striking CPC-related infrastructure. The official stated, "The US government views the CPC as a critical channel for delivering Kazakh energy to the European market, serving as an alternative to Russian energy supplies." The official added that the US has reconfirmed Kyiv's commitment not to attack CPC facilities or non-Russian vessels heading to the Novorossiysk pipeline terminal, as long as those ships are not subject to other Ukrainian sanctions.

Offices for Vance, Zelenskyy, and the Kazakh Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment; the CPC, Chevron, and ExxonMobil all declined to comment. This is not the first time US officials have intervened to discourage Ukrainian actions that could harm American business interests in Russia. After Ukraine's drone strike on the Novorossiysk port late last year, former Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanyshyna said in February that she received a diplomatic note from the US State Department, a document used to express American displeasure. Last month, Ukraine's continued attacks on the CPC terminal and large-scale strikes on Russian shipping vessels in the Azov Sea caused market turmoil: Kazakhstan was repeatedly forced to halt crude oil flows to Novorossiysk, and shipping freight and insurance costs more than doubled.

The CPC operates a pipeline that runs through Russia and Kazakhstan. Data from energy flow tracker Kpler shows that, as a result, CPC's daily crude oil loading volume in July was only 1.3 million barrels, down 300,000 barrels from the previous month and 600,000 barrels from May. Due to the ongoing conflict in Iran tightening Middle Eastern oil supplies, Kazakh crude has become increasingly critical to the global market. On July 17, a tanker chartered by ExxonMobil was damaged in an attack while waiting to load oil at the CPC terminal. Last month, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth stated that the company is working with the US and other governments to ensure the smooth operation of the pipeline. These attacks are part of a broader Ukrainian campaign of long-range drone strikes targeting oil infrastructure, aimed at bringing the war to Russian territory and cutting off funds the Kremlin uses to sustain its invasion.