On March 30, answering the media on the WhatsApp application, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky confirmed that the country had received many messages from allies requesting to narrow down the scale of attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure.
However, he explained that the recent attacks were only a corresponding retaliatory blow. He emphasized that the Ukrainian army will only accept stopping when and only when Moscow agrees to stop the bombardments on the country's power grid and fuel stations first.
It is still unclear which country made the above call. This concern appeared when the conflict in Iran was shaking the global energy market due to Tehran blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
Under pressure on fuel prices, the US had to ease some sanctions on the Russian oil industry. China and India are still Moscow's leading crude oil importers, accounting for 85% of total exports in February.
Mr. Volodymir Zelensky's statement was made after a series of unmanned assaults by Ukrainian drones deep into Russian territory. The key target is the Ust-Luga oil export port in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. The Ukrainian leader proudly declared that the bombing campaign earlier this week had collapsed up to 60% of the operating capacity of this seaport.
In the opposite direction, Ukraine's energy infrastructure also suffered heavy losses. Airstrikes from Moscow caused more than 1 million people to lose power in the cold winter and destroyed many defense factories.
This situation forces Ukraine to depend on fuel sources imported from Poland, Greece, Lithuania and Turkey. Gas supplies from Hungary have also been suspended due to allegations that Ukraine deliberately delayed oil pipeline repairs in political retaliation.
To solve the energy shortage, President Zelensky has just completed a tour to a series of Gulf countries. Here, the Ukrainian leader proposed sharing drone technology and called for defense support against Moscow missiles.
Although affirming that the military has enough fuel reserves, Volodymir Zelensky admitted that the soaring world oil prices are pumping more money into the Russian economy and directly threatening Ukraine's combat capabilities.
