Ukraine Agrees to Protect Kazakh Oil Infrastructure in Russia

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has agreed to cease drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia, and to stop targeting non-Russian oil tankers. The agreement was secured after meetings between senior U.S. government leaders and Ukrainian leadership, following protests from both the United States and Kazakhstan.

The CPC terminal is critical for Kazakhstan, which relies on it for 80% of its oil exports, providing roughly 2% of global crude supplies. Since February, Ukrainian raids and a series of drone attacks in July disrupted loadings, causing CPC Blend exports to fall by an estimated third this month. The terminal is owned by a consortium that includes U.S. companies Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell. The diplomatic shift follows a specific request from Chevron CEO Mike Wirth for the White House to protect regional operations.

Under the new terms, Ukraine will refrain from attacking vessels that are not owned by Russian entities, are not carrying Russian cargo, and are not subject to Ukrainian sanctions. To ensure safe passage, Kyiv has established points of contact for commercial shippers. This agreement arrives as President Donald Trump has limited military support for Ukraine, including rebuffing a request from President Vladimir Zelensky for additional Patriot missile interceptors.