US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken critically of Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries, questioning their impact on the course of the war.
The West does not like Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries. United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently spoke out about such strikes, questioning their effect on the course of the war. He answered immediately.
Comment from the USA
First, information emerged in the media that the United States had allegedly called on Kyiv not to strike Russian refineries and other energy infrastructure, as they feared it could lead to a larger escalation and cause a global increase in energy prices.
Today, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directly criticized the attacks being carried out by Ukraine on oil refineries in Russia, discussing its impact on the course of the war.
Austin said hits to Russia’s oil refining industry could negatively affect energy availability around the world.
“These strikes could have an impact on the global energy situation… It is better for Ukraine to focus on tactical and operational objectives that can directly affect the course of the conflict,” Austin said.
Political motive
Senator Tom Cotton immediately responded to the minister’s words, saying that the Biden administration is preventing Ukraine from taking effective action for political reasons.
“I don’t think the Biden administration wants gas prices to go up in a presidential election year,” he said.
As Bloomberg notes, the United States is trying to balance between reducing Russia’s income from the sale of energy resources, which helps finance the war, and ensuring that sufficient energy resources continue to flow to world markets and that events do not arise that could weaken the global economy. Global oil prices are now at their highest in nearly six months, mainly due to tensions in the Middle East.
Fighting inflation, including fuel prices, is one of the priorities during Biden’s term.
Austin also reiterated his call for Congress to approve additional funding to support Ukraine, stressing that this money will in fact stimulate the American defense industry.
The State Department also stated that Washington does not support attacks on targets on Russian territory.
lie downAndsecret purpose
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine, as a country defending itself from aggression, has the right to strike “legitimate military targets” outside its borders.
Stoltenberg recalled that Russia invaded Ukraine in gross violation of international law, and that Ukraine has the right to self-defense enshrined in the UN Charter.
“And we have the right to help Ukraine defend the right to self-defense, without dragging NATO members into the conflict. And Ukraine has the right to self-defense, in particular, to strike legitimate military targets outside of Ukraine to protect themselves,” he added.
NATO believes that the Ukrainian drone strike on Russian refineries has a significant impact on its fuel market and imposes additional financial costs.
“The strikes likely knocked out more than 10% of Russia’s oil refining capacity, and possibly more than 15%. And, depending on the extent of the damage, repairs could take significant time and be costly, ” said the NATO official.
Parallel to German Germany
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis joined discussions on whether Ukraine should attack Russian oil refineries.
Landsbergis turned to history, recalling how the Allies attacked Nazi Germany’s oil depots during World War II.
“During World War II, the Allies bombed Nazi Germany’s oil storage facilities as a major military target,” he wrote, implying that he supported attacks on Russian refineries.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.