Ukraine has stopped attacking oil tankers near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) oil terminal in Novorossiysk following a personal appeal from U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance, the Financial Times reports.
Vance asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease the attacks during a conversation on July 31, sources told the newspaper. Since then, the FT reports, Ukraine has not carried out any strikes on tankers near the CPC terminal.
"We are listening very closely to our American partners," said an unnamed senior Ukrainian official who spoke to reporters.
Bloomberg reported last week that Ukraine had reached an agreement with the U.S. on de facto Safety Rules for Navigation Near the CPC, which allegedly stipulate that Ukraine will not attack the terminal's infrastructure or vessels heading toward it, provided they are not subject to Ukrainian sanctions, are not transporting Russian oil, and are not owned by Russian entities. The FT confirms this information.
A source at the newspaper said Ukraine agreed to the Trump administration's request because it hopes to receive from the U.S. a license to manufacture interceptors for Patriot systems. Ukraine also wants to purchase several hundred of these missiles by winter.
During the July 31 conversation, Zelenskyy told Vance that the Patriot system and air defense are a "top priority" for Ukraine, according to the Office of the President.
According to the FT, the agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine does not apply to other Russian oil infrastructure.
