Russia strongly condemned the US seizure of an oil tanker on Thursday, signaling a further chill in relations between Moscow and Washington that could spill over into other areas and hurt President Donald Trump’s efforts to persuade Russia to end its nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Wednesday’s capture of the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic “can only lead to a further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as a noticeable lowering of the ‘threshold for the use of force’ against peaceful shipping,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the seizure of the tank and has remained silent on the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, which his diplomats denounced as a blatant act of aggression.
But while the Russian president avoided any criticism of Trump, the US military’s seizure of the tank represents a new challenge for the Kremlin.
Hawkish commentators in Moscow criticized the government for not providing a swift response and argued that Russia should deploy its naval resources to protect the ships of the shadow fleet.
Ukraine’s Western allies have long vowed to tighten sanctions on the shadow fleet of tankers that Russia has used to transport its oil to global customers, and many observers in Moscow have warned that the US action could set a precedent for other nations.
Beyond its tough rhetoric, Russia has few options when considering how to respond to the seizure, according to Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs during the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
“Russians tend to yell and scream when they’re embarrassed, and they were embarrassed in this case, because Russian power is not what Vladimir Putin thinks it is,” Fried said. “They couldn’t do anything with this ship.”
US European Command said the merchant ship Bella 1 was seized on Wednesday for “violating US sanctions”. When the US began tracking the tanker last month after it tried to evade a blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela, it was renamed the Marinera and Russian-flagged.
The Trump administration has imposed an oil embargo on Venezuela, and the Energy Department says the only oil transported to and from Venezuela will be through approved channels, in accordance with U.S. law and national security interests.
How Russia sees US military action
The State Department said the US attempt to frame the seizure of the tank as part of a broad effort to establish control over Venezuela’s oil wealth was an “utterly cynical” reflection of “neo-colonial ambitions”.
The ministry described it as a “serious violation” of international maritime law and insisted the vessel had a Russian-flagged sailing permit issued in December. It said US threats to prosecute the crew “under preposterous pretexts” were “categorically unacceptable”.
It said sanctions imposed unilaterally by the US and other Western countries were “illegitimate” and could not serve as justification for seizing ships on the high seas.
“Washington’s desire to generate acute international crisis situations, including in connection with the already highly strained Russian-American relations, which are burdened by disagreements of the past years, is a cause for regret and concern,” the ministry said.
The White House declined to comment Thursday when asked about the State Department statement.
The capture of the tank drew angry comments from Russian military bloggers, some of whom accused the Kremlin of failing to provide a firmer response to the US action. Many criticized the military for not quickly sending a warship to escort the tank.
Some have proposed deploying military contractor teams on Shadow Fleet ships to prevent such captures in the future.
Alexander Kots, a military correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid, argued that the Kremlin’s failure to respond forcefully to the seizure of the tank could encourage the US and other Western nations to seize more vessels.
“We’re dealing with a bully who feels all-powerful, we need to punch him in the face,” Kots wrote.
A contrary view
Fried said Russia has little credibility when it comes to international law complaints given its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s claim to the ship is also tenuous, he noted, given that it was granted only a temporary permit to fly the Russian flag late last month.
“If you talk about it legally, it’s a complicated issue. If you talk about it strategically, the Russians are extremely overextended and vulnerable,” said Fried, now at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. “They’re hanging on to a war in Ukraine they’re not winning … their economy is hurting.”
He said that while Moscow may react to the seizure of the tank by launching an attack against US interests, Putin may not want to risk antagonizing Trump.
“Putin has overreached with Trump when he flatters him,” Fried said.
As tensions flared over the seizure of the ship, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said Wednesday that Trump had “green-lighted” a Russia sanctions bill aimed at crippling Moscow economically that had been in the works for months.
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Associated Press writer David Klepper in Washington contributed to this story.