U.S. Defense Minister Austin says the U.S. Armed Forces are harming the global energy complex during attacks on Russian refineries
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern that strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Russian oil refineries could have a negative impact on global energy markets.
He said this at a meeting of the US Senate Committee on Armed Forces, reports Bloomberg.
“These attacks could have consequences for the global energy situation. It is better for Ukraine to pursue tactical and operational goals that can directly affect the current battleAustin said.
The US Secretary of Defense noted that the US is trying to balance between reducing Russia’s income from oil exports, which are used to finance the war, and maintaining supplies to global energy markets.
Austin reiterated the administration’s request to Congress to approve additional military aid to Ukraine, arguing that it would also create American jobs by increasing US defense production.
More than $50 billion in additional national security assistance will be distributed among more than 30 states, Austin said.
Additional Information:
- According to Giorgii Revishvili, a former senior adviser to Georgia’s National Security Council, Ukraine has bombed more than a dozen Russian oil refineries since the air offensive began in early January, including some of the country’s largest.
- On April 2, Ukraine carried out one of the farthest drone strikes of the war, hitting an oil refinery in Russia’s Tatarstan some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
