Vance asked Ukraine to not strike Russian energy infrastructure: reports

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's son JD Vance requested that Ukraine refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure, according to reports from the Financial Times. In response, Ukraine agreed not to target the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) infrastructure and non-Russian vessels, provided they were not under Ukrainian sanctions or carrying Russian oil or other cargo.

This came after a major Ukrainian attack on Russia's Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, which resulted in the destruction of warships at a naval base and the suspension of operations at two major grain terminals. The Ukrainian attacks killed at least two people, including an eight-year-old child, according to regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev.

The attacks on Novorossiysk were described as having "strategic significance," with Ukraine's SBU security service stating that Kyiv's forces hit the base with drones and missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that two frigates, a large landing ship, a corvette, and other vessels were hit. The strikes on the grain terminals raised concerns about a disruption to global wheat supplies, as Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter.

The Ukrainian attacks led to a 76% drop in grain shipments from Ukraine in the first two weeks of August compared to the same period the previous year, according to Ukraine's agriculture ministry. Ukraine and Moldova also agreed on a plan to route Ukrainian grain shipments through Moldova by rail. In Crimea, over three dozen drones were shot down in Sevastopol, according to the city's Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev.