Nicolai Haugsted
Marco Rubio says Ukrainian strikes have created a problem Washington cannot ignore.
Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s energy industry has become one of Kyiv’s tools for squeezing Moscow’s wartime economy. From refineries to other oil infrastructure, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly reached deep into Russian territory.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio now says some of those attacks have also come dangerously close to American interests.
Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Rubio accused Ukraine of striking vessels linked to the United States and supplies ultimately destined for the US – even while acknowledging that Kyiv may not have intended to hit them. Fox News separately described Rubio’s remarks as concerning “American-linked ships and oil supplies.”
Rubio says the problem cannot continue
Rubio said several incidents involving ships with US connections had occurred during recent months.
According to the secretary of state, vessels carrying oil connected to American supplies have been caught up in Ukraine’s wider assault on Russia’s energy sector.
“They were probably not deliberately [targeted], but they were still targeted by Ukraine. So it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. We cannot allow this to happen,” Rubio said.
Rubio did not identify the individual vessels or provide further details about the incidents during the interview.
His comments nevertheless represent unusually direct criticism from one of Washington’s most senior officials toward Kyiv’s military campaign against Russian oil infrastructure.
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Russian ports do not only handle Russian oil
Part of the complication can be found on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
Novorossiysk is a major Russian oil-export hub, but crude leaving the area does not necessarily originate in Russia.
Kazakh oil also travels to the Black Sea through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, commonly known as the CPC. American oil giant Chevron holds a stake in the system.
That makes attacks around the port considerably more complicated from Washington’s perspective.
Ukrainian drone strikes have repeatedly targeted oil-related infrastructure in and around the region. Media reports in July also said a tanker operating on behalf of ExxonMobil was damaged near Novorossiysk.
Rubio’s remarks did not establish which specific incidents he was referring to, meaning a direct link between those reported attacks and his accusation has not been publicly confirmed.
Trump wants the refinery strikes to stop
Oil prices have become increasingly important to the Trump administration as global energy markets face pressure from several conflicts at once.
President Donald Trump has urged Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian refineries, arguing that the strikes are contributing to higher fuel prices. Recent Ukrainian attacks have continued to hit Russian oil facilities despite that pressure from Washington.
Rubio also linked pressure on energy prices to Ukraine’s campaign and instability involving Yemen’s Houthi movement.
For Trump, the economic consequences have arrived at a particularly inconvenient moment. November’s US midterm elections are approaching while diesel prices have become a growing political concern for his administration.
Washington is therefore pushing an idea that would require concessions from both sides rather than Ukraine alone.
Trump wants Moscow and Kyiv to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready for a deal
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly signaled that Ukraine is willing to accept such an arrangement – provided Russia plays by the same rules.
Following talks with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was prepared to halt attacks on Russian energy targets if Moscow stopped striking Ukraine’s energy system.
“We are ready for an energy ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said.
“If they don’t want us to attack their diesel and refineries, and etc, we are ready – if they will not attack our energy system, our electricity, heating system, water supplies.”
Zelenskyy also pushed back against suggestions that Trump had demanded a unilateral Ukrainian halt to the refinery campaign.
“There were no requests today for Ukraine to stop its strikes unilaterally. We are talking about an energy truce,” he said after their meeting.
Getting Russia aboard appears considerably more difficult.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the latest ceasefire proposal Tuesday, arguing that Moscow wants a lasting settlement rather than another temporary pause in hostilities.
“The president [Vladimir Putin] and the Russian side have always said that we advocate a solid peace, a definitive peace, and not a ceasefire that essentially gives us nothing,” Peskov said.
