Pentagon chief criticizes Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries over impact on global markets – Bloomberg
Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries could affect global energy markets, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told the US Senate Armed Services Committee on April 9, urging Kyiv to focus on military objectives, Bloomberg reports.
"Those attacks could have a knock-on effect in terms of the global energy situation. Ukraine is better served in going after tactical and operational targets that can directly influence the current fight," Austin said.
As noted, Austin's remarks were immediately condemned by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who accused the Biden administration of obstructing Ukraine's effective actions for political reasons.
"It sounds to me that the Biden administration doesn’t want gas prices to go up in an election year," Cotton said.
Nevertheless, Austin reiterated the administration's request to the US Congress to approve additional military assistance to Ukraine. The Pentagon chief emphasized that such assistance also provides jobs for American defense workers. According to him, more than $50 billion in additional national security assistance will be distributed to more than 30 states.
Background
The Financial Times, citing three unnamed sources, reported previously that the United States had urged Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian infrastructure, as these strikes could raise global oil prices and provoke retaliation.
As noted, repeated warnings from Washington were conveyed to high-ranking officials of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna replied that oil refineries in Russia are legitimate targets from a military point of view. She stated that the Ukrainian side responded to such calls by "achieving its goals" and "very successful operations" conducted on the territory of Russia.