Zelenskyy dismisses US VP Harris' request to stop attacking Russian refineries – Washington Post
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris held a confidential meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asked Kyiv to refrain from attacking Russian oil refineries, The Washington Post reported on April 15.
Strikes on Russian refineries could lead to an increase in world energy prices and cause Russia to take more aggressive actions against Ukraine, sources in the White House said.
But Harris' request on this issue "irritated" Zelenskyy and his team.
Zelenskyy "brushed off" Harris's recommendation, sources in the Biden administration said. Later, this was stated by high-ranking representatives of the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence, as well as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, according to WP.
Attacks on Russian refineries
Ukraine’s SBU Security Service has carried out 13 attacks deep inside Russian territory, agency head, Vasyl Malyuk, said earlier.
Read also: Russian media reports four unidentified UAVs strike Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery
Ukraine's drone strike campaign on Russian oil refineries has disabled as much as 12% of the country's processing capabilities, Malyuk said.
Oil products export revenue makes up one-third of the Russian budget and constitutes the "lion's share" of its military budget, he said.
Attacks on the following Russian refineries have been recorded:
Tuapse oil refinery, Jan. 24
Volgograd oil refinery, Feb. 3
Afip oil refinery, Feb. 9
Ilya oil refinery, Feb. 9
Lukoil-Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez Plant, March 12
Ryazan oil refinery, March 13
Kaluga oil refinery, March 15
Syzran oil refinery, March 16
Kuibyshevsk oil refinery, March 16
Slavyansk oil refinery, March 17
Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery, March 23
TANECO oil refinery, April 2.
Novoshakhtinsk refinery, April 12.
Did the U.S. call for ending attacks Russian oil refineries?
The United States has asked Ukraine to stop attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, as it could lead to an increase in global oil prices and corresponding Russian actions, the Financial Times, citing three sources, reported on March 22.
Ukraine has already responded to similar calls "by achieving its goals and conducting highly successful operations" on Russian territory, said Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna.
Read also:
Ukraine’s strategic strikes aim to undermine Russia's economy and cut petrodollar flow to war effort
U.S. does not support Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries, but is there a request to stop?
Statements from other officials indicate that Ukraine deems Russian oil refineries as legitimate military targets.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on March 27 that Washington does not support the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strikes on Russian territory, but refused to answer whether they had actually asked Ukraine to stop attacking oil refineries.
The United States has not demanded that Ukraine cease the attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, asserted Ukrainian Presidential Office head’s advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak.
The White House responded to the Financial Times' claims by saying that it does not encourage or support Ukrainian attacks within Russia.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander said on April 10, that the Pentagon considers oil refineries in Russia to be "civilian targets." At the same time, the DoD acknowledges that striking these assets is a sovereign decision of Ukraine.
Speaking to the participants of the Delphi Economic Forum on April 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine had never used Western weapons to attack the aggressor state.
Read also: Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk oil plant, which supplies the Russian army with fuel, hit by drone attack
"Everything used by Ukraine after Russia's aggression on our territory is produced exclusively by Ukraine, exclusively for military or energy purposes," he said.
“Ukraine is not fighting against civilians even with its own weapons.”
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