WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio was pressed Wednesday on why the United States is asking Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy sites when it was Russia that invaded, and his answer cut straight to the heart of the issue: both sides have made energy a centerpiece of their war aims — and Washington, he indicated, has been asking more than just Kyiv to back off.
“On Ukraine, Secretary. Ukraine says its refinery strikes inside Russia is aimed at targeting revenues that are the main income source for Russia,” a reporter asked. “Why lean on a country that’s been invaded and not the invader?”
When the reporter clarified that the premise was that the U.S. asks Ukraine to stop targeting Russian energy sites, Rubio shot back: “Well, we — I mean, how do you know we haven’t asked Russia to stop.”
Rubio then laid out what he described as an asymmetry that complicates any deal: “When you talk to energy, for the Russian side, the energy strikes they’re facing are refineries and their oil and gas. For the Ukrainian side, energy means their electrical grid and going into winter with a fear of losing the electric grid.”
“So, when you talk about energy, it means two things to different people,” he continued. “And what complicates it further is that energy strikes are at the core of the tactical pursuit that both sides are — the Ukrainians are inflicting pain on the Russians by hitting their energy sector, which is a revenue source. The Russian side is inflicting pain on the Ukrainian side by targeting their electric grid, especially as we head into winter.”
Rubio acknowledged that the mutual targeting of energy infrastructure is having “a global impact in the case of oil and gas” and “a very real and immediate impact on life in Ukraine,” making an agreement difficult — but said it is worth pursuing because it would be “beneficial to the world and beneficial to both countries.”
The exchange came during a wide-ranging press conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Rubio also fielded questions on Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz, Cuba, Venezuela, and the upcoming state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Rights and attribution: Footage: U.S. Department of State. Public domain.