Ukraine reportedly halted attacks on a Russian port after a request from US Vice President JD Vance. Kyiv’s repeated strikes on tankers in Novorossiysk had alarmed Washington, which feared they would further destabilize already strained oil markets and hurt US oil majors, the Financial Times reported.
The port is a key export point for Kazakh oil, and Chevron and ExxonMobil own stakes in the pipeline that carries it there. Ukraine has left Novorossiysk alone since Vance’s Jul. 31 call, although attacks on Russian oil infrastructure continue: Kyiv said it hit a major refinery 930 miles from the front line Tuesday. Russia has been suffering from gasoline and diesel shortages for more than three months due to Ukrainian drone strikes.