Ukraine has undertaken an obligation not to strike tankers used for the export of Kazakh oil in the Black Sea that have no connection to Russia, as well as related infrastructure.
Sea-news.az reports that Bloomberg agency released information about this, citing a U.S. official.
According to the source, if the vessels have no ties to Russia, are not under Ukrainian sanctions, and are not carrying Russian cargo, official Kyiv will refrain from attacking the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and the vessels arriving at the terminal. The agency notes that Ukraine accepted this obligation following negotiations with U.S. representatives.
Prior to this, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing its sources, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump warned Ukraine not to strike third-country vessels and oil infrastructure in the Black Sea. According to the newspaper, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth raised the issue of collateral damage from Ukrainian strikes during discussions with White House officials. It should be noted that the aforementioned American company holds a 15 percent stake in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium and places special importance on the protection of its infrastructure.
The consortium has previously reported UAV attacks on tankers around its terminal in the Black Sea. The pipeline system of the said alliance is considered the largest route for transporting oil from the Caspian region to world markets. The main trunk pipeline, 1.5 thousand kilometers long, connects the fields of Western Kazakhstan with the Russian Black Sea coast, where oil is loaded onto tankers via the consortium’s marine terminal.
