The White House warned the Kiev authorities that attacks on vessels and oil infrastructure in the Black Sea were unacceptable, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper reported that representatives of Chevron, which has a major interest in the situation, met with senior US officials alongside other oil industry executives. The discussions focused on energy markets, security in the Black Sea and measures needed to protect business interests in the region.

Industry leaders asked the White House to intervene over continuing Ukrainian strikes in the area. Following those talks, the US administration urged Ukraine to scale back such operations and specifically warned against targeting ships not owned by Russia in the Black Sea.

The WSJ noted that Washington views the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which has repeatedly come under Ukrainian attack, as an important route for delivering Kazakh energy resources to European markets without relying on Russian supplies.

The CPC pipeline system has an annual capacity of 83 million tonnes and is the largest channel carrying oil from the Caspian region to global markets. It is also Kazakhstan’s main export route. The pipeline stretches for roughly 1,500 kilometres, linking oil fields in Western Kazakhstan with the Black Sea coast, where crude is transferred to tankers through an offshore terminal.