Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Moscow is not aiming to damage U.S. commercial interests connected to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
Peskov was responding to remarks from a number of Russian experts, including those aired on state television, who had suggested that Russia should bar oil flows through the CPC from Kazakhstan as a countermeasure to sanctions imposed by Washington.
The CPC is a major export route for oil and counts large American producers among its shareholders - specifically Chevron and ExxonMobil. The consortium ships oil out of a terminal located on the Black Sea coast of Russia.
Addressing reporters during his routine conference call, Peskov said: "In addition to American partners, there are also our Kazakh partners involved, and Russia remains a reliable guarantor of global energy security, despite everything."
The CPC's terminal is sited close to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Recent attacks by Ukrainian drones have struck the terminal area, prompting the consortium to reduce activity because of the damage and security concerns.
Peskov accused Ukraine of engaging in what he termed "energy blackmail" with the strikes, and said the attacks were inflicting harm on companies from Russia, the United States and Kazakhstan.
This report presents the Kremlin's public positioning on the CPC matter and records the immediate consequences noted by officials for the terminal's operations. It reflects statements made by the spokesperson and the situation described regarding drone strikes and their reported effect on consortium activity.