Ukraine Halts Tanker Strikes at US Request
Ukraine Halts Tanker Strikes at US Request
The News
Ukraine has stopped attacking oil tankers using Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after the United States asked it to, the Financial Times reported.
Vice President JD Vance made the request, according to the FT, with Washington alarmed by Kyiv's campaign against vessels collecting Kazakh oil from the port.
The move comes as Novorossiysk — home to major oil and grain terminals and a Russian naval base — was hit by a massive Ukrainian drone attack that set the port on fire.
Timeline
Ukraine had been running a campaign of strikes on tankers using Novorossiysk to collect oil, drawing concern in Washington.
On August 12, 2026, Bloomberg reported that the port caught fire following a massive drone attack, citing NASA data showing the blaze.
The same day, Reuters reported that Russia's Novorossiysk grain terminal halted operations after the Ukrainian drone attack, according to an industry source.
Also on August 12, the Financial Times reported that Ukraine had agreed to halt its strikes on tankers using the port at the US request.
Reactions
According to the Financial Times, Washington was alarmed by Kyiv's campaign on vessels collecting Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk, prompting Vance's request that Ukraine stand down.
What's Next
It remains to be seen whether the pause on tanker strikes holds and how quickly the damaged port and its grain terminal return to full operation.
More
Novorossiysk is one of Russia's most important export hubs, handling major oil and grain shipments and serving as a base for the Russian navy on the Black Sea.
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