Ukraine Agrees Not to Target CPC Facilities

As part of the recent U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh, both sides agreed on a temporary list of infrastructure facilities that Russian and Ukrainian forces will not attack. Among them is the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, a key route for Kazakhstan's oil exports, Orda.kz reports.

According to a document published on the Kremlin’s website, the list includes oil refineries, oil and gas pipelines, power plants, nuclear power stations, and hydroelectric dams.

Two key points on this list are particularly relevant for Kazakhstan: a halt on strikes against oil refineries (some of Kazakhstan’s oil products are imported from Russia) and oil pipelines.

The CPC pipeline, which runs through Russian territory, has previously been targeted by Ukrainian drones. Its main shareholders are Russia’s Transneft (24%) and Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas (19%). If Ukraine upholds this temporary moratorium, Kazakhstan’s oil exports via the CPC should remain safe at least until mid-April.

The U.S.-Russia negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine concluded on March 25. Although a joint statement was expected, none was released.

Nevertheless, Ukrainian strikes on CPC infrastructure were last reported on March 19 and 24 — after news had already surfaced that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had reached an agreement to pause attacks on energy infrastructure.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny