The US military on Wednesday seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker accused of evading a naval blockade around Venezuela, a move that is sure to rankle Moscow.
Sanctioned tankers have been trying to get around the US’ oil embargo en masse; American forces also apprehended a second “stateless, sanctioned” tanker on Wednesday.
The unilateral interceptions could complicate Ukraine peace talks between the US and Russia, which is said to use a fleet of shadow tankers to circumvent Western sanctions.
The flare-up comes after US President Donald Trump said Caracas will hand over millions of barrels of oil, and the energy secretary said Washington would oversee Venezuela’s oil sales “indefinitely.”
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