US Vice President Kamala Harris met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Munich Security Conference in February and urged him to refrain from striking Russian oil refineries.
Source: European Pravda; The Washington Post citing sources
Details: The sources said that Harris’ request “irritated” Zelenskyy and his aides.
The sources noted that the Ukrainian president “brushed off” these recommendations because he was not sure that they reflected the consensus position of the Joe Biden administration.
The newspaper adds that in the following weeks, Washington confirmed this warning in numerous conversations with the Ukrainian side. In particular, these statements were made by senior representatives of the Pentagon and US intelligence, as well as by Jake Sullivan, US National Security Adviser, who visited Kyiv in March.
However, since then, Ukraine has struck a number of Russian facilities, including an attack on 2 April on TANECO, Russia’s third largest oil refinery, located in Tatarstan.
US officials say that supporting global energy markets to reduce inflation is a priority for the Biden administration ahead of the presidential election.
However, they say it is also important for maintaining European support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Quote: “An increase in energy prices risks dampening European support for Ukraine aid,” the US official said.
The US also doubts the military benefits of these Ukrainian attacks. In particular, the US military believes that the strikes do little to reduce Russia’s combat capability and have led to a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine’s power grid, which is much more damaging to Ukraine than the strikes on the refineries were to Russia.
The newspaper notes that the US position on strikes on Russian refineries has angered Ukraine, which considers such actions to be justified given Russia’s continuous attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian officials believe that these attacks are necessary to raise the price of Russian aggression and to emphasise that Russian society will not be safe until the war unleashed by Russia ends.
Background:
- US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin recently criticised the Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, questioning their impact on the war.
- Meanwhile, Europe believes that Ukraine has the right to strike Russian refineries. In particular, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna believes that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries are justified since they help curb Russia’s revenues and make it harder for Russia to wage war.
- Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that Ukraine has every right to strike Russian oil refineries after the latest Russian attack on Ukraine
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that Ukraine has the right to strike “legitimate military targets” outside its borders.
© 2024 Ukrainska Pravda
It’s OK to defend yourself, just don’t do what you need to to do.
Ukraine needs to step up the oil campaign. No one in Europe should be getting anything from Russia anyway.
It wasn’t the EU which complained, but the US.
They still must stop importing ruSSian blood-oil and blood-gas through the backdoor, complaining or not.
Sullivan seems to be a key driver of Biden’s Ukraine policy. Wiki :
“In March 2022, Sullivan reportedly advised Zelenskyy not to try to retake Crimea or attack the Crimean Bridge, fearing that Russia might respond with a nuclear strike. Sullivan also reportedly imposed restrictions to prevent Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons for retaliatory attacks on Russian territory.”
It sounds like the absurd “don’t attack putinaZi refineries” order comes from him.
Ukraine not only has to contend with Trumpkov’s murderous aid block, but also extreme recalcitrance from its so-called friends.
It really is appalling.
People who have a strategy for Ukraine to retake Crimea, such as Gen. Hodges, are dismissed as “hawks.”
That’s what happens when you have a damned pussy as National Security Advisor. Even Sponge Bob would be a better choice.
“The US also doubts the military benefits of these Ukrainian attacks. In particular, the US military believes that the strikes do little to reduce Russia’s combat capability and have led to a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine’s power grid, which is much more damaging to Ukraine than the strikes on the refineries were to Russia.”
The large scale missile attacks have nothing to do with Ukraine striking oil facilities, they are targeted because the US have not provided any aid for 6 months. The Ukrainian power grid was not attacked when Ukraine had air defences, but they are now.
Yeah, the Biden government isn’t even so honest to themselves and the public to admit that it was their own damn failure, to get the arms delivery bill passed, that led to this disturbing situation on the battlefield. It’s pathetic. 😖
I wonder what the good folk working at oil companies and refineries in Louisianna and Texas think about reducing Putler Petroleum products. Isn’t there a ban on ruskie products anyway so the US is dependent on Orc Oil now? And I guess a potential war in the gulf with Iran has not affect on US domestic oil prices. Maybe Jake two-faced Biden should just use Presidential call-down to send weapons so Ukraine can focus on the ground war and the Kerch bridge
I suggest Zelenskyy should give a lengthy interview to one of the leading news reports in the US, in which he explains that his country’s fight against the terror regime of Putin is more important to him than international gas prices. And that he doesn’t like to put a financial burden on other people, but that the strijes on Russian refineries will continue to deprive the invaders of fuel supplies. To safeguard Biden a bit, he can add that the Maga-Republicans in Congress are to be blamed for this.
The administration blathers a lot, but says nothing of value. Ukraine’s effort to destroy mafia refineries is perhaps the single best strategy to bring the shithole to its knees, and the administration shits its breeches about it. They are far too cowardly and undignified to admit that it’s high gas prices they are afraid of, and hence, costing the old fart’s election.
“Zelenskyy irritated by US request not to hit Russian refineries.”
As well he should be, it’s fuking ridiclous to think they should not.
Russia sure as shit doesn’t mind hitting civilian targets.
Indeed, this stance is another low point in the Biden administration and will be ridiculed for eternity.
Rightly so! It’s absolutely pathetic how team Biden fakes concern about Europeans having to pay higher gas prices when it’s obvious to everybody with some common sense that all those White House spindoctors worry about are Biden’s reelection chances (and thus their own jobs). Who do they want to fool? 👿
It’s clear that they can’t fool any of us on here, that’s for damned sure. And, there are many millions more who can see right through their pathetic and shabby excuses.