Ukrainian forces overnight struck two oil refineries in Russia's Samara region and Vysotsk port, which houses a Lukoil terminal, as well as an oil depot in Russia-occupied Crimea, Kyiv's drone forces commander said. The Syzran and Novokuibyshevsk refineries came under the strikes, Robert Brovdi said on the Telegram app. Russia unleashed its deadliest attack so far this year on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities Wednesday night, killing at least 17 people, including a 12-year-old child, and wounding scores, in drone and missile strikes, officials said on Thursday. Read: Germany's Merz hosts Ukraine's Zelenskiy for talks in Berlin In Russia, a major Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea port of Tuapse killed two people, including a 14-year-old girl, injured seven, and sparked a large fire, Russian officials and media reported. The port is home to a major oil refinery as well as an export hub for oil, coal and fertiliser. Overnight in Kyiv, fires in several di...
The Trump administration on Friday renewed a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on. The Treasury Department's waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16. It replaces a 30-day waiver that expired on April 11 and excludes transactions involving Iran, Cuba and North Korea. The move is part of the administration's effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the US-Israeli war with Iran. It came after countries in Asia, suffering from the global energy shock, pressed Washington to allow alternative supplies to reach markets. Reversal by treasury "As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it," a Treasury Department spokesperson said. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen...