Event:Russia-Ukraine conflictAmerican News
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The US Secretary of Defense stated his opinion at a Senate hearing on April 9, in the context of Ukraine continuing to carry out attacks using drones (UAVs) against Russian oil refineries.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Ukraine should aim for military targets because attacking Russian oil refineries will only increase world oil prices, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a Senate committee on April 9, according to RT. .
In recent months, Ukraine has continuously used long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack Russian oil refineries and industrial facilities in many places. In early April 2024, a similar Ukrainian attack was said to have hit the farthest target about 1,200km from the Russia-Ukraine border.
“Those attacks could have a knock-on impact on the global energy situation,” Mr. Austin told lawmakers on the US Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on the annual military budget. “Ukraine should aim at military targets that can directly affect the conflict.”
Senator Tom Cotton expressed disagreement with Mr. Austin, saying that “Ukraine is attacking effectively.” Mr. Cotton, a Republican senator, said President Joe Biden’s administration is concerned because “it doesn’t want fuel prices to rise in an election year.”
World oil prices have now reached their highest level in the past 6 months. However, Russia announced a higher level of oil exports in 2023 than before the conflict broke out in Ukraine.
During the hearing, Mr. Austin confirmed that the US asked Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries. Late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Washington could not prevent such attacks because Kiev used UAVs produced by the country.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency announced it would continue to expand long-range attacks against Russian oil refineries.
Mr. Zelensky said Ukraine had no choice but to attack Russian oil facilities because Kiev was increasingly running out of ammunition and weapons.
Since October 2023, the US Congress has been unable to reach consensus on approving an additional budget worth 60 billion USD to support Ukraine.
Mr. Austin said that the additional budget is also beneficial for the US defense industry because manufacturing plants across 30 US states will receive new orders, creating jobs for US workers.
Newsessentials Blog 
Posted on April 26, 2024
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