Ukraine strikes on Russian energy infrastructure 'frustrating' US: FT
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The Financial Times reports that US President Joe Biden fears the impact of Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy facilities on his re-election campaign later this year.
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Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Russia’s Bryansk region on Friday, January 24, 2024. (Russian Emergencies Ministry)
The United States called on Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian energy facilities, fearing that these strikes could send oil prices higher and provoke a retaliation by Moscow, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources.
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Ukrainian top political and military officials have received repeated warnings from Washington to refrain from such attacks.
One source told the newspaper that Washington had "grown increasingly frustrated" by the "brazen" drone attacks carried out by Ukrainian forces against Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries, storage facilities, and depots - which is impacting Russia's oil output capacity.
Moreover, the US is concerned that Russia could respond to these attacks by striking energy infrastructure "relied on by the West," FT added.
This involves the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which transports oil from Kazakhstan through Russia to the global market. Western companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron utilize this pipeline for their oil transportation needs. In 2022, Moscow temporarily closed the pipeline, causing disruptions in the oil supply chain.
"We do not encourage or enable attacks inside of Russia," an NSC spokesperson said.
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According to a military intelligence official in Kiev, there have been at least 12 attacks on major Russian refineries since 2022, with at least nine occurring this year, in addition to attacks on several terminals, depots, and storage facilities.
"Nothing terrifies a sitting American president more than a surge in pump prices during an election year," said Bob McNally, president of consultancy Rapidan Energy and a former White House energy adviser.
'Begging for money'
This comes as tensions are rapidly escalating between Russia and the West, especially as a large number of the recent attacks have been carried out hundreds of kilometers inside Russian territory, which was only possible via advanced drones or long-range missiles supplied by Kiev's Western allies.
Additionally, Moscow released serious warnings regarding reports of several Western states intending to send troops to Ukraine, most notably France, and the European Union's decision to finance Ukraine by confiscating Russian frozen funds, with Washington expected to follow suit.
Read more: Russia: Foreign troops in the Ukrainian army an 'open secret'
President Vladimir Putin declared last week that his military will retaliate against a series of Ukrainian attacks on his nation, as Russians were casting their presidential votes.
During a televised meeting with his security council, he vowed that such attacks "do not and will not go unpunished," expressing his certainty that the "Russian people will respond with great unity."
Putin expressed the belief that Ukraine's leadership was attempting to divert attention away from the fact that it was performing horribly on the battlefield and was "begging for money and all kinds of handouts in a humiliating way."
