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Washington Post adds a new wrinkle to our @FT scoop last month that the US warned Ukraine not to attack Russian oil refineries with long-range drones. Our original report: https://t.co/DRussu4cAs
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 15, 2024
WaPo, confirming FT reporting below, reports that VP Kamala Harris asked Zelensky… https://t.co/Ixi2m3BzJw
New: When Kamala Harris met privately with Volodymyr Zelensky in February, she told him something he didn’t want to hear: Refrain from attacking Russian oil refineries, a tactic U.S. officials believed would raise global energy prices and invite more aggressive Russian retaliation inside Ukraine.
The request irritated Zelensky and his top aides, who view Kyiv’s string of drone strikes on Russian energy facilities as a rare bright spot in a grinding war of attrition. Zelensky brushed off the recommendation, but in subsequent weeks, Washington reinforced the warning in multiple conversations with Kyiv, including by Jake Sullivan, who traveled to Ukraine’s capital in March.
Instead of acquiescing to the U.S. requests, Ukraine doubled down on the strategy, striking a range of Russian facilities, including an April 2 attack on Russia’s third-largest refinery 800 miles from the font.
The incidents have exacerbated tensions in an already-strained relationship and come as Biden ramps up his reelection campaign amid a six-month high in oil prices.
Defenders of Ukraine’s strategy accuse the White House of prioritizing domestic politics over Kyiv’s military goals. U.S. officials say the rationale behind their warnings is more nuanced than critics suggest, noting that Moscow’s counterattack has hurt Ukraine more than the refinery attacks hurt Russia.
I say again, it’s an absurdity that we would discourage Ukraine, an ally, from taking just about any and every action to defend itself. We should absolutely not, in official channels & out of the public eye, discourage Ukraine’s attacks into Russia. It’s both naive and poor… https://t.co/aJyPF1VuUe
— Alexander S. Vindman ❎ (@AVindman) April 15, 2024
I say again, it’s an absurdity that we would discourage Ukraine, an ally, from taking just about any and every action to defend itself. We should absolutely not, in official channels & out of the public eye, discourage Ukraine’s attacks into Russia. It’s both naive and poor allyship to do so. Lastly, we have little to no leverage to influence Ukraine as we are no longer supporting Ukraine. This amounts to empty words.
