The US has asked Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian refineries, the British newspaper Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources. According to them, Washington fears that drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure could lead to an increase in world oil prices and also provoke Moscow to take retaliatory actions.
According to information from the British newspaper, the American presidential administration has repeatedly turned to the Ukrainian secret service SBU and the Ukrainian military intelligence HUR with a request to stop the attacks.
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Despite Western sanctions, Russia remains one of the main energy exporters. At the same time, oil prices on world markets rose this year and climbed to 85 dollars per barrel. As a result, fuel prices are rising, in a situation where US President Joe Biden is running for another term, the FT noted.
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“Nothing scares a sitting American president as much as a spike in fuel prices during an election year,” former White House energy adviser Bob McNally told the paper. Gasoline prices in the US have already risen by almost 15 percent this year, according to the FT.
According to the newspaper, the White House is also concerned that if Ukraine continues to attack Russian oil refineries or oil storage facilities, Russia could retaliate by attacking infrastructure on which the West depends. This applies, for example, to the Caspian Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which transports oil from Kazakhstan to world markets via Russia.
According to the British paper, Ukraine has recently stepped up its air attacks on Russia as it increases its drone capabilities. Since 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Ukraine has launched at least 12 major strikes against Russian refineries, according to the FT.
In addition, Ukraine also attacks oil terminals and oil storage facilities. The attacks are concentrated on the western part of Russia, but sometimes they also hit targets hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian officials claim that Ukraine has developed drones that can travel over a thousand kilometers.
Tags: Stop attacking Russian oil asks Ukraine price fuel scares Biden writes
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