The Financial Times reports Ukrainian officials said Kyiv ceased intensive drone
strikes on tankers using key Black Sea ports after a July 31 call in which U.S.
vice president Vance asked President Zelenskiy to stop. Attacks had targeted
tankers calling at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal that move
Kazakh crude to Novorossiysk; U.S. officials were said to be alarmed that the
strikes were destabilizing oil markets and harming U.S. commercial interests.
Ukrainian and other sources say Kyiv has agreed not to target CPC infrastructure
or non‑Russian vessels provided those ships are not under Ukrainian sanctions
and are not carrying Russian oil or other Russian cargo; officials say a
mechanism was set up to enforce the arrangement and there have been no further
attacks near the CPC terminal since the call.
