Ukrainian forces have reportedly suspended drone attacks on oil tankers at the port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, according to the Financial Times, which cited unnamed Ukrainian officials.

The request was prompted by concerns that drone strikes — which shut down the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) twice over the past two months — were further destabilizing an already volatile global oil market. Ukraine had also targeted tankers docked at the Novorossiysk port using drones. The port, located on Russia's Black Sea coast, also serves as a Russian naval facility, making it a recurring focus of Ukraine's broader campaign of long-range strikes against Russian military and logistics infrastructure.

The CPC operates a pipeline running from the Caspian coast in northwest Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk port, which handles the majority of Kazakhstan's crude exports. These exports originate from giant oilfields operated by international firms, including U.S. supermajor Chevron. The CPC transports crude from three major Kazakh fields — Tengiz, Kashagan, and Karachaganak — in which major Western companies hold stakes, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and Eni.

Drone attacks on both the pipeline and the port caused a sharp decline in Kazakh oil production. Daily output fell to approximately 1 million barrels by the end of July, down from over 2 million barrels per day in June. The disruption underscored the vulnerability of Central Asian energy exports that depend on transit corridors through Russian territory — a structural risk that has persisted since Kazakhstan's independence, as the landlocked nation has few immediate alternatives for moving large crude volumes to global markets.

"The administration views the CPC as a vital conduit of Kazakhstan-origin energy for European markets that serves as an alternative to Russian energy supplies," an unnamed U.S. government official told the Financial Times. Washington also instructed the Zelensky government to cease attacks on non-Russian tankers in the Black Sea, according to the report. The intervention reflects a broader U.S. effort to balance support for Ukraine's military campaign against the risk of collateral disruption to non-Russian energy flows that Western governments rely on to keep global prices in check.

Kazakhstan routes approximately 80% of its oil exports through the CPC to Novorossiysk. In the aftermath of the drone attacks, the country announced this month that it is exploring alternative export routes. Kazakhstan has maintained a neutral diplomatic posture toward Russia's war in Ukraine, and the episodes at Novorossiysk have added urgency to its long-stated goal of diversifying export corridors.

"Transportation through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan system, shipments across the Caspian Sea through the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as the Baku-Supsa route are being considered," the Kazakh Ministry of Energy said on Monday.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com