Financial Times: US has urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries due to possible rise in world oil prices

Washington, United States (Svidomi) — The United States has allegedly urged Ukrainian intelligence services to halt attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, warning the drone strikes risk driving up global oil prices and provoking retaliation, the Financial Times reports, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The repeated warnings from Washington were delivered to senior officials at Ukraine’s state security service, the SBU, and its military intelligence directorate, journalists say.

"The White House had grown increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks that have struck oil refineries, terminals, depots and storage facilities across western Russia, hurting its oil production capacity," one of the FT's sources said.

The United States is also allegedly concerned about a possible Russian retaliation against energy infrastructure that the West relies on. 

This may apply to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which transports oil from Qazaqstan through Russia to the world market. Companies including ExxonMobil and Chevron use the pipeline.

"We do not encourage or enable attacks inside Russia," an NSC spokesman said. 

The CIA and the Security Service declined to comment. Ukrainian intelligence and President Zelenskyy's office also did not comment on the allegations. 

"Nothing scares a sitting American president like a spike in gasoline prices in an election year," commented Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy and former White House energy adviser, on the US concerns.

A representative of Ukraine's military intelligence told the FT that since 2022, there had been at least 12 attacks on major Russian oil refineries, nine of which were this year, not including strikes on terminals, warehouses and storage facilities.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Ukraine had paralysed 12% of Russia's oil refining capacity.