The United States has called on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, warning Kiev that drone strikes could raise global oil prices and trigger retaliation, three people familiar with the talks said.
That invitation was sent several times from Washington to senior officials of Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) and its Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR), three sources told Britain's Financial Times.
Both intelligence agencies have steadily expanded their drone programs to engage Russian targets on land, sea and in the air since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
One source said the White House is increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone strikes that have hit oil refineries, terminals and warehouses across western Russia, curtailing its oil production capacity.
Russia remains one of the world's most important energy exporters despite Western sanctions targeting its oil and gas sector. Oil prices have risen about 15 percent this year, to $85 per barrel, which has increased fuel costs, at a time when the US president, Joseph Biden, is starting his re-election campaign.
Washington is also concerned that Russia could retaliate with attacks on energy infrastructure that the West relies on if Ukraine continues to strike Russian facilities, some of which are hundreds of kilometers from the border.
This includes the CPC pipeline through which oil from Kazakhstan reaches the global market via Russia. Western companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, use the pipeline, which Moscow briefly shut down in 2022.
Ukraine has stepped up airstrikes in recent weeks, in parallel with the expansion of its drone program, while Russia is gaining the upper hand in the ground war.
According to a military intelligence official in Kiev, Ukraine has carried out at least 2022 attacks on major Russian refineries since 12, and at least nine this year.
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