Moscow sees red after US seizes 'shadow fleet' tanker

Russia has angrily declared that America's capture of the Marinera - with UK support – is a breach of maritime law

- TARA COBHAM

US forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic in a dramatic move that could put Donald Trump on a collision course with Vladimir Putin.

The UK later revealed British armed forces provided support in the capture of the Marinera, a Venezuelan-linked vessel previously known as Bella-1, as it travelled north and eastwards through the waters between Iceland and Scotland yesterday.

The interception of the vessel comes amid a climate of global instability, with tensions also growing between Mr Trump and Europe over the US president's repeated threats to take over Greenland.

The diplomatic row over Greenland came just days after US forces entered Venezuela and seized its president, Nicolas Maduro, in an extraordinary show of American military power. Mr Maduro was taken to New York, where he is facing charges for drug trafficking, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and “narco-terrorism”.

Now, the capture of the Marinera could prove to be a new flashpoint in relations between the West and Moscow after Russia's transport ministry appeared to suggest that international maritime law had been breached.

Mr Trump appeared to take a swipe at America's Nato partners following the operation, writing on social media: “We will always be there for Nato, even if they won't be there for us. The only nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT [Donald J Trump] REBUILT USA. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

His claim of a lack of Western support came despite British involvement in the interception of the Marinera. RAF surveillance craft and a naval supply ship, the RFA