US Protests Ukraine Drone Strike on Russian Oil Port

The United States issued a formal diplomatic protest to Ukraine following a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian Black Sea port in November 2024, which disrupted oil exports from Kazakhstan and affected American economic interests, according to Ukraine's ambassador to Washington.

Olha Stefanishina disclosed the demarche during a briefing on Tuesday, marking the approach of the war's third anniversary since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The strike targeted the Sheskharis oil terminal in Novorossiysk, a key facility operated by Russia's Transneft that handles shipments through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, or CPC. The consortium, which transports about 80 percent of Kazakhstan's oil exports to global markets, includes stakes held by U.S. energy companies Chevron and ExxonMobil.

Stefanishina said the U.S. State Department contacted her office to express concerns over the impact on American investments linked to Kazakh oil flows. "We have heard from the State Department that we should refrain from attacking American interests," she stated, as reported by multiple outlets. She emphasized that the message was specific to the economic repercussions and did not...