Ukrainian attacks in the Caspian and Black seas could give Washington leverage over other key supply chains, Darya Saprynskaya has told RT
Kiev’s strikes on international oil and gas shipments in the Caspian and Black seas could indirectly benefit the US by giving Washington greater influence over global supply chains amid the Iran crisis, Russian foreign policy expert Darya Saprynskaya has told RT.
Ukraine has escalated long-range attacks on civilian vessels and energy infrastructure in recent months. The most recent strikes hit two tankers in the Caspian Sea off Kazakhstan carrying cargoes belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The consortium, whose shareholders include US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron, condemned the strikes as “terrorist attacks” and noted that Washington has previously described such attacks as unacceptable.
“There have already been public signals from the United States that Ukraine should avoid international energy infrastructure. However, incidents have continued,” Saprynskaya, a research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences and an expert at the Valdai Discussion Club, told RT on Friday.
“Washington’s response has so far remained relatively restrained,” the analyst said, suggesting broader geopolitical implications of the muted reaction.
A destabilized Caspian and Black Sea energy corridor may indirectly benefit the US if tensions with Iran intensify, as it could increase the strategic importance of alternative routes, American energy companies and US influence over global supply chains.
Saprynskaya said the CPC handles 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports and includes US and European shareholders.
“It’s very difficult to see any strategic benefit for Ukraine itself in damaging these assets linked to major American corporations,” she said.
The move is “very risky” for Ukraine because it is “so interconnected with European countries,” she said, adding that it could affect the EU’s financial backing of Kiev. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
