Image for representation purposes only Ukraine has paused drone strikes on oil tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian officials. According to the report, the request was made last month after the United States raised concerns that Ukrainian attacks on tankers carrying Kazakh crude were disrupting oil markets and affecting U.S. companies. The tankers were transporting oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which ships crude from Kazakhstan to a terminal at the Russian port of Novorossiysk. A U.S. official told Reuters that the Trump administration had warned Kyiv to “cease and desist” from targeting non-Russian vessels in the Black Sea as well as CPC infrastructure. The official said the United States considers the CPC an alternative source of energy supplies to Russia. The United States has reaffirmed that Ukraine is committed to refraining from attacks on CPC infrastructure and non-Russian vessels bound for the CPC offtake point, provided those vessels are not subject to Ukrainian sanctions, the U.S. official said. The reported pause comes after Ukrainian forces stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and other targets. Kyiv has said the strikes are intended to deprive Russia of resources used to fund its military. Last week, Reuters reported that drone attacks in the Black Sea reduced CPC oil loadings by as much as 20% in July, citing four sources familiar with the data. The disruption also affected Kazakhstan, which depends on the CPC route for crude exports. According to the sources, the country’s oil production fell 14% in July compared with June. Western energy companies operating in Kazakhstan were also affected. Chevron and Exxon Mobil are among the major companies with operations in the country. Why the CPC route matters? The Caspian Pipeline Consortium carries crude from Kazakhstan