The Trump administration took the unusual step of warning the Ukrainian government that its strikes on a Russian oil facility in the Black Sea late last year affected US investments in Kazakhstan, Ukraine's Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova said on Tuesday, UNN reports with reference to CNN.
"We heard that Ukrainian attacks on Novorossiysk affected some American investments that are being made through Kazakhstan. And we heard from the State Department that we should refrain from, you know, attacking American interests."
Markarova said she received a demarche, which is an official diplomatic communication, from the US State Department on the matter. CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.
The Ukrainian ambassador stated that the US did not suggest that Ukraine refrain from attacking Russian military and energy infrastructure.
"It was precisely due to the fact that American economic interests were violated there," she said. "We took that into account."
In late November, drones struck the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, damaging not only Russian interests but also a key pipeline, leading to a significant drop in Kazakh oil exports, the publication writes. Chevron is a major shareholder in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which transports oil from Kazakh oil fields to the Black Sea for export.
The Ambassador noted that the US State Department letter emphasized that the US currently does not have the same economic interests in Ukraine as it does in Kazakhstan.
"I am very, very sorry that after 35 years of Ukraine's independence, having so many opportunities, we have not yet reached a situation where we could do the same," she told reporters on Tuesday.
As Russia's full-scale war enters its fifth year, Markarova praised US support for Ukraine, which has changed significantly during the Trump administration.
Markarova urged US lawmakers to pass legislation to strengthen sanctions against Russia, saying that delaying its adoption is seen as a victory for Moscow.
"It should either be passed now, or we will simply have to admit that there is no desire to do so," she said.
"If we can impose more sanctions and increase pressure on Russia, it will not be able to withdraw from negotiations," she added.
Negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the US have not yet yielded results, and Moscow continues its relentless attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on Monday that he wants US President Donald Trump to "stay on our side."
"If they really want to stop Putin, America is so strong," he said. When asked if he thought Trump was putting enough pressure on Putin, Zelenskyy replied, "No."