Washington warns Ukraine over striking US economic interests in Russia

The Trump administration has formally warned Ukraine not to strike targets within Russia that could impact US economic interests, according to Kyiv's ambassador to Washington Olha Stefanishyna, who revealed she received a diplomatic complaint following Ukraine's November drone strike on Russia's Novorossiysk port that damaged tankers and a terminal partially owned by American companies Chevron and Exxon. Stefanishyna, speaking at a press conference marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, stated that 'We have heard from the Department of State that we should refrain from attacking American interests.' The strategically located Black Sea port serves as one of Russia's largest oil export hubs and a critical outlet for crude shipments from Kazakhstan's oilfields. Kyiv has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, while Ukraine's foreign ministry declined to comment on the matter. President Volodymr Zelenskyy has maintained that striking Russian energy facilities and ports that fund the Kremlin's war machine represents Kyiv's form of 'sanctions,' believing this approach will compel Moscow to negotiate more quickly. Stefanishyna clarified, however, that the US warning did not extend to strikes on Russian military and energy infrastructure, suggesting a nuanced approach to the conflict. Despite these tensions, Ukraine's ambassador indicated that her country does not feel abandoned by the US, noting she had been invited to attend President Trump's State of the Union address. The US response to the fourth anniversary of the war has notably been muted, with the White House not sending a senior official or delegation to Kyiv for the occasion. Earlier on Tuesday, the US joined 50 other countries in abstaining from a UN vote on a Kyiv-initiated resolution supporting lasting peace in Ukraine, which ultimately passed with 107 votes in favor. This shift from Washington's previous position of unequivocal political, diplomatic, and military support to a more neutral, Russia-friendly stance has clearly frustrated Ukrainian officials, who have expressed private dismay over the Trump administration's relative silence regarding Russian attacks on US businesses in Ukraine. Ukraine's foreign minister Andriy Sybiha highlighted the disconnect, noting that 'Russia has been intentionally striking US businesses in Ukraine,' while simultaneously proposing economic cooperation with the US. Recent Russian strikes have damaged facilities operated by major US companies including Boeing, Flex Electronics, and most recently Mondelez, which operates a production facility in eastern Ukraine that was hit by a Russian missile over the weekend. Zelenskyy expressed his frustration with what he perceives as Trump's strategy of pressing 'both sides' and positioning the US 'in the middle' to broker a settlement, as multiple rounds of peace negotiations have failed to break the stalemate in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.