Politics

The United States took control of two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. One of these tankers was flying the flag of Russia. This action is part of President Donald Trump’s strong efforts to influence oil distribution in the Americas and push Venezuela's socialist government to become an ally. Following a military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Saturday, the U.S. is intensifying its blockade on ships under sanctions that travel to and from Venezuela, which is part of the OPEC oil group. The White House also announced plans to ease some of the sanctions imposed on Venezuelan oil in 2019 during Trump’s first term. On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard along with military special forces intercepted the Marinera crude oil tanker. This tanker had previously refused to let officials board it last month and then changed to a Russian flag. The operation was risky, as a Russian submarine and other vessels were nearby, potentially increasing tensions with Russia, which has condemned U.S. actions regarding Venezuela. This situation comes as Russia is already facing challenges with the West due to the conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin did not comment, as it is currently a public holiday in Russia. U.S. Vice President JD Vance referred to the tanker as a "fake Russian oil tanker" in an interview on Fox News. He stated that the vessel was trying to pass itself off as a Russian oil tanker to evade sanctions. Earlier on the same day, the U.S. Coast Guard also intercepted another tanker, the Panama-flagged M Sophia, which was carrying Venezuelan oil near the northeast coast of South America. This marked the fourth seizure in recent weeks, with the tanker being fully loaded according to records from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA.