Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Ukraine’s military has targeted U.S.-linked ships and infrastructure on several occasions in recent months.
Rubio, who also serves as President Trump’s national security adviser, made the remarks during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
“The one thing we are concerned about, however, is that over the last few months on a number of occasions American-linked ships, American oil supplies, have been targeted — probably not deliberately — but targeted nonetheless by Ukraine,” Rubio said.
“So that’s something that needs to be addressed. We can’t have that happen,” he continued. “That’s why the president has wanted to end this war.”
Rubio did not disclose any details about the attacks. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment, and the State Department declined to comment.
The secretary’s comments follow earlier concerns from the administration over Ukrainian strikes affecting global energy supplies. In late July, Vice President Vance asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop striking oil tankers using the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s terminal in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, according to a report from The Financial Times.
The port is home to a terminal for a pipeline that carries crude oil from Kazakhstan.
According to the Financial Times, the U.S. was “alarmed” that the strikes were further destabilizing oil markets. Ukraine agreed not to go after non-Russian ships that are not under Kyiv’s sanctions and not to target Caspian Pipeline Consortium infrastructure, the outlet reported.
Rubio’s remarks came just hours before Zelensky and Trump were set to meet at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
On Monday, the Ukrainian leader met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe at an airport in Ireland.
The timing is notable, as Zelensky has repeatedly pressed the U.S. to provide Patriot interceptor missiles to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s massive missile attacks on the Eastern European nation.
Earlier this year, Trump said the U.S. would allow Ukraine to co-produce Patriot missiles.
The president has called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. On Monday, he acknowledged that Kyiv’s military strikes have hit Russian energy infrastructure hard, arguing that Russia has lost control of its diesel oil industry.
Rubio’s comments put a spotlight on a growing concern within the administration: that the ongoing conflict is creating risks not only for the two warring nations but for American interests as well. While the secretary suggested the incidents were likely not deliberate, his message was clear that the administration views them as unacceptable.
The remarks set the stage for a high-profile meeting between Trump and Zelensky, as the two leaders prepare to sit down in New York amid Ukraine’s continued push for more air defense support and the White House’s ongoing effort to bring the war to a close.
With American-linked ships and oil supplies caught in the crossfire, the administration is signaling that protecting U.S. interests will remain a top priority as diplomatic efforts move forward.
