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US seizes Russian-flagged tanker and a second Venezuela-linked ship
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US seizes two ships linked to Venezuela
02:49 • Source: CNN
US seizes two ships linked to Venezuela
02:49
• Tankers seized: The US seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after tracking it across the Atlantic, which Moscow has condemned. The US said it also seized another Venezuela-linked vessel in the Caribbean this morning. Sigue nuestra cobertura en español.
• Venezuela’s oil to US: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said interim Venezuelan authorities wanted to use oil from one of the seized tankers as part of a “deal” in which the US would take tens of millions of barrels of Venezuela’s oil and sell it at market rates.
• Classified briefings: Democratic and Republican senators said that top Trump administration officials laid out details about US plans for Venezuela’s oil, but there was a partisan split on whether it’ll work.
• Spotlight on Greenland: Emboldened by his claimed control of Venezuela, President Donald Trump did not rule out military means to acquire Greenland. Rubio said he will be meeting with leaders of Denmark next week.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi gave some details in a social media post today about the seizure of an oil tanker linked to Venezuela.
The US executed a seizure warrant for the vessel, which she named at Bella 1, which was “responsible for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” she said.
The crew members tried to avoid being apprehended, but now are “under full investigation and criminal charges will be pursued against all culpable actors” as a result of their failure to obey Coast Guard orders, Bondi said.
As the US continues to monitor other vessels, Bondi warned that crews of other sanctioned tankers would face potential prosecution if they failed to “obey instructions” of the Coast Guard or other federal officials.
Some background: While being pursued, the crew of the tanker at some point painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was sailing under Russian protection.
Shortly thereafter, the vessel appeared on Russia’s official register of ships under a new name — the Marinera. Russia filed a formal diplomatic request last month demanding that the US stop pursuing the vessel.
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Calm returns to Caracas streets days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro
01:59 • Source: CNN
Calm returns to Caracas streets days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro
01:59
Just five days after the United States attacked Caracas and captured Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans are trying to regain some degree of normality.
Reuters footage shows people boarding buses, walking in the streets, riding bikes, and going about their daily lives.
But while traffic is returning to its usual rhythm during the day, the scene shifts when the sun goes down.
A driver for Ridery, a ride-hailing app, told CNN that once it gets dark, the number of drivers online offering the service drops dramatically. “It’s very lonely out there, and it’s best to avoid any mishaps,” said the citizen, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals.
In eastern Caracas, a hamburger and hot dog joint that usually stays open until 10:00 p.m. reported that it will be open until 6:00 p.m. “until the situation stabilizes,” explains an employee in charge of the cash register.
The streets of Caracas empty as the sun goes down. People do not leave their homes. Bars and restaurants are closed or empty. There are no pedestrians walking their dogs or strolling. Not many private cars are seen on the road. It is a very different scene from a week ago, when Venezuelans were celebrating the New Year and the streets were flooded with people.
Now, however, the silence and darkness are only interrupted by the strong presence of armed security personnel.
Read the full story here.
The European Union has expressed its “full solid support and solidarity” for Greenland amid US President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in obtaining the Arctic island.
“Europe will remain a firm and unwavering champion of international law and multilateralism.”
His remarks come as the Trump administration is “actively” discussing a potential purchase of the Danish territory, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She said the territory is “advantageous for America’s national security” and that Trump sees it in the country’s best interest to “deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he will meet with Danish officials next week, after the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark requested a meeting with him.
Some background: While the Trump administration has repeatedly stated its desire to control the vast, resource-rich territory, Denmark has repeatedly rejected his advances, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterating Monday that “Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States.”
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House Speaker Johnson says US is ‘not in a war in Venezuela’
01:52 • Source: CNN
House Speaker Johnson says US is ‘not in a war in Venezuela’
01:52
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not expect the US to send troops to Venezuela.
“We are not involved with boots on the ground there. We are not engaging a regime change. As you know, an interim president has now taken the post, and they will continue. Now our hope is that this regime will not be engaging in narcoterrorism and all the terrible activity that the predecessor of the interim president was involved in,” he added.
Johnson did not divulge what the officials told lawmakers when they asked about America’s plans with Venezuela’s oil. But he noted the role US oil companies could play in reinvigorating the country’s oil industry.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine gave a “very precise, detailed narrative” about the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Johnson said, adding that lawmakers gave Caine a standing applause.
Ukraine has welcomed the US seizure of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera.
Sybiha made the remarks a day after European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law gathered in Paris for talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Some background: The United States has been engaging with Ukraine, Russia and European leaders to reach an end to the war. After the talks in Paris on Tuesday, Witkoff said the security protocols for Ukraine are “largely finished.” Those protocols, he said, were important so that the Ukrainian people know that when the war ends, it “ends forever.” Witkoff said Trump is ready to do “anything necessary” to work with European allies to bring peace to Ukraine.
Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky called the US seizure of the Marinera an act of “21st-century piracy,” according to state news agency TASS.
Slutsky, who is the chairman of the State Duma Committee on international affairs, said the US move violates maritime law and United Nations conventions.
Russia’s foreign ministry demanded the return of the Russian citizens aboard the seized tanker, TASS reported earlier.
The Russian-flagged vessel, originally called the Bella 1, was sanctioned by the US in 2024 for operating within a “shadow fleet” of tankers transporting illicit oil.
Last month, US forces tried to interdict the ship near Venezuela but did not board it after it fled. Russia later filed a formal diplomatic request – after the vessel appeared under Russia’s official register of ships with a new name – asking the US to end its pursuit.
Crackdowns on the Venezuelan population would not be consistent with the Trump administration’s priorities, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.
Asked about reports that leadership in Venezuela is cracking down on public support for the ouster of Nicolas Maduro, Leavitt said, “It would not be consistent. and I’ll let the president’s national security team speak further on that. I know they are well aware and tracking.”
CNN has reported there’s been widespread apprehension in the streets of Caracas and other cities, with the people of Venezuela uncertain and government security forces on edge.
Leavitt declined to say whether the administration believes the country’s leadership should release political dissidents and return Americans detained in Venezuela, saying she’d let President Donald Trump “answer that question.”
“I don’t want to make new policy at this podium today,” Leavitt added.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is “not afraid” to continue seizing sanctioned oil tankers despite concerns that it could ratchet up tensions with Russia and China.
“He’s going to enforce our policy that’s best for the United States of America,” she said told reporters during a press briefing. “That means enforcing the embargo against all dark fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil.”
Leavitt’s remarks came after hours the US military took control of two tankers, including a Russian-flagged ship it had been pursuing for more than two weeks. She downplayed the risk that it would spark a flare-up between the US and Russia, arguing that Trump maintains a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I believe those personal relationships are going to continue,” she said, adding that Trump has made clear that seizing sanctioned tankers is “the policy of this administration, and he’s not afraid to implement it.
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US seizes two ships
The US seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after tracking it across the Atlantic, according to the US European Command. The US said it also seized another Venezuela-linked vessel in the Caribbean. CNN’s Zachary Cohen reports.
00:31 • Source:
Multiple GOP senators are publicly urging the Trump administration to cease any further threats of military action in Greenland, as Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday broke with the White House in suggesting that such an option is not on the table.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska offered perhaps the strongest criticism of the White House’s formal declaration on Tuesday that officials were still considering the use of the US military to seize Greenland.
Greenland was not a central point in the administration’s briefing on Wednesday, which focused on the White House’s operation in Venezuela and its future steps, according to multiple senators who attended. But the concern by Murkowski and other Republicans suggest it remains a major concern within the party that will require further explanation from Trump and his team.
GOP Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford told reporters that “we need to not threaten a peaceful nation that’s an ally where we have a military base already.” And Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said, “Military invasion of Greenland would be a terrible idea, and really shouldn’t be seriously considered.”
Across the Capitol, Johnson strongly downplayed the Trump administration’s talk on acquiring Greenland in a separate press conference.
“All this stuff about military action and all that, I don’t think it’s a possibility. I don’t think anybody’s seriously considered that,” he said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that significant private sector interest is emerging around Venezuela’s oil industry as the United States works on a potential deal with the country’s interim government.
Leavitt emphasized the administration’s confidence in Wright to oversee the talks. “They’re eager about these opportunities. And Secretary Wright is a very well, knowledgeable guy when it comes to oil and energy, and he’s the perfect man for the job.”
CNN previously reported that President Donald Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday, according to a senior White House official.
Leavitt said the meeting is to discuss “the immense opportunity that is before these oil companies right now.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said moments earlier that the US is “about to execute on a deal” to take tens of millions of barrels of Venezuela’s oil and “sell it in the marketplace at market rates.”
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White House discussing “range of options” to acquire Greenland
02:00 • Source: CNN
White House discussing “range of options” to acquire Greenland
02:00
The Trump administration is “actively” discussing the potential purchase of Greenland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, saying that President Donald Trump is prioritizing a diplomatic solution but is “(keeping) his options open.”
Greenland has catapulted to the forefront of international headlines in the aftermath of the US’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with the Trump renewing his interest in obtaining the Arctic island, which US officials have repeatedly said is a national security imperative.
An acquisition of Greenland, Leavitt told reporters, is “something that’s currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team,” describing Greenland as “advantageous for America’s national security.”
Trump, she added, “views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region, and so that’s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.”
Leavitt was pressed on why Trump has not ruled out military action to take over Greenland, a possibility that has prompted significant pushback from Denmark and other NATO allies.
“All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the best interest of the United States, but I will just say that the president’s first option always has been diplomacy,” she said.
GOP Senate Armed Services Committee member Kevin Cramer said the briefing was a like a good “movie script” and the operational details they heard were very interesting. He said he’s not upset his committee was not briefed ahead of time because it had to be closely held.
“I’m fine with it,” he said about not being briefed. “Frankly the more I learn about it, the more fine I am with it because the exquisiteness of it requires such a small, small circle of knowledge.”
He said the tale told by the briefers was like a “move script I mean, honestly, God, it’s so good.”
He said they should try to declassify information for the public but said there are a lot of specific details about weapons systems and more, which will make that hard.
“This particular case, the tactics and things may never be a completely declassified because you’re talking about specific weapon systems, specific aircraft, specific naval craft. They’re just, there’s a lot, lot there.”
Asked if he was surprised by anything he heard, he said yes: “The details are interesting.”
Democratic and Republican senators agreed that top Trump administration officials laid out a detailed plan about what comes next for the US plans to control oil in Venezuela in a classified briefing, but there was a partisan split on whether that plan will work.
Here’s what they’re saying:
GOP Sen. Roger Marshall: “I think the big leverage we have is the quarantine we have around them and if you follow the flow of oil, the flow of money, that they will have to respond and listen to what we’re telling them to do.”
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley: Secretary of State Marco Rubio “talked about some of the forward looking plans happening in phases” but said he would not reveal what those were. “I thought that was instructive.”
Democratic Sen. Peter Welch described the plan laid out by the Trump administration as “aspirational”: “Good riddance to Maduro but everything that he created is still in tact. They have a plan that they can impose their will by the blockade on oil, but regimes as we’ve all seen are willing to inflict incredible punishment on their own citizens. So will that work? That remains to be seen. But history suggests it won’t.”
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin: “The joke is, everyone was so upset that the neocons were going to Iraq because of the oil, and it was a big conspiracy theory. [Stephen Miller] says it out loud. He doesn’t have any shame that that is what it’s about. That was what the majority of our briefing was about just now.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he will be meeting with Danish officials next week, following renewed US interest in taking over Greenland.
His remarks come after Greenland’s foreign minister and the Danish foreign minister requested a meeting with the top US diplomat.
Rubio — echoing the White House statement earlier this week — did not count out the possibility of a US military intervention to acquire Greenland if Trump deems it necessary for America’s national security, though he spoke in broad terms.
“Every president always retains the option, I’m not talking about Greenland, I’m just talking about globally, if the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means,” Rubio said.
But Rubio said Trump’s intention has always been to buy Greenland, noting that he had clearly articulated that goal during his first term.
“This is not new; he talked about it in his first term. And he’s not the first US president that has examined or looked at how could we acquire Greenland,” Rubio said, adding that President Harry Truman had also considered the idea.
Rubio said that diplomats always “prefer to settle it in different ways.” He then made the direct connection to Venezuela saying that the Trump administration attempted in that case to settle the problem through diplomacy.
“We tried repeatedly to reach an outcome here that did not involve having to go in and grab an indicted drug trafficker. Those were unsuccessful unfortunately,” Rubio said of Venezuela.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there will be “more deals to follow” with the interim Venezuelan government and said the Trump administration is planning three phases for Venezuela: stabilization, recovery and transition.
Speaking after an all-senators briefing today, Rubio said they are starting with stabilization because “we don’t want it descending into chaos.” He reiterated that the administration believes it has significant leverage on the interim Venezuelan government led by Delcy Rodriguez.
He described the oil deal as part of the stabilization phase, noting the administration expected to soon be able to sell millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil and generate revenue, controlled by the US, that will be “dispersed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people.”
“We’re already seeing progress with this new deal that’s been announced, and more deals to follow,” he said, without providing details on the additional deals.
The “recovery” phase, Rubio said, “is ensuring that American, Western, and other companies have access to the Venezuelan market a way that’s fair.”
“At the same time,” they want to “begin to create the process of reconciliation nationally within Venezuela, so that the opposition forces can be amnestied and released from prisons or brought back to the country, and begin to rebuild civil society,” he said.
The third phase will be “one of transition.”
“In the end, it will be up to the Venezuelan people to transform their country,” Rubio noted.
“Some of this will overlap. I’ve described this to (senators) in great detail. We’ll have more detail in the days to follow, but we feel like we’re moving forward here in a very positive way,” he said.
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Rubio says the US is “about to execute on a deal” to take Venezuelan oil and sell it
00:29 • Source: CNN
Rubio says the US is “about to execute on a deal” to take Venezuelan oil and sell it
00:29
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is “about to execute on a deal” to take tens of millions of barrels of Venezuela’s oil and “sell it in the marketplace at market rates.”
The top US diplomat also confirmed the seizure of two oil tankers today and said that the interim Venezuelan authorities wanted the oil from one of the ships “to be part of this deal.”
“They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States,” Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Rubio described the deal as a result of the US’ oil “quarantine.”
“We are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We’re going to sell it in the marketplace at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime,” he said.
“We have a leverage to move on the stabilization front,” he added.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer railed against the Trump administration after an all-senators classified briefing on Venezuela, saying he was dissatisfied by some of their responses.
The New York Democrat said he was “totally dissatisfied” about the administration’s answers about the US’ designs in other territories and countries like Greenland, as well as the administration’s succession plans for Venezuela.
“I am totally dissatisfied about their answers of going into other countries, totally dissatisfied of what, what they might be doing in Greenland, as well as in Colombia, Mexico and other countries,” Schumer told reporters, adding, “And we’re also totally dissatisfied about succession. They’re relying to help them run Venezuela, help Trump run Venezuela, the most unreliable corrupt people who hate America.”
He said the Trump administration must address questions in public hearings.
“They’re avoiding all public discussion to talk to us in this SCIF where we didn’t get adequate answers even to our questions. But not let the American people know what they’re doing when it’s the American people who have always paid the price when we try to do this regime change in blood and treasure,” he said.
Schumer added: “We need answers. We need answers to these questions, and we need them made publicly.”
Some House Republicans are defending President Donald Trump’s recent threats to takeover Greenland, though many also downplayed the possibility that he’ll launch a military operation to do so.
Here’s what some lawmakers are saying:
- Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio told CNN: “President Trump makes decisions that are in the best interest of Americans, the best interest of our country. He’s got a track record that demonstrates that.”
- Rep. Brian Mast of Florida suggested that the administration is floating military action as a “hypothetical,” and said “in no situation ever are you going to have secretary, anybody in the Cabinet saying you take military off the table.”
- Rep. Keith Self of Texas said: “I think that they’re going to pursue every other option before that. So, I think that’s a rhetorical question that is not yet on the table,” when asked if he supports the US taking military action to take over Greenland. On whether Trump should dial down his rhetoric to appease concerned European nations, Self said that “he’s upset NATO allies before,” adding that he thinks it “may be a negotiation tool.”
- Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas: “We’ve got the guy that knows how to make the deal, Donald Trump will make that deal. I mean, what the hell, you don’t have that many people in Greenland anyway,” he said.
- Rep. Kevin Kiley of California: “We’re talking about an ally. So, you know, this is an area of strategic importance. I think the secretary of state emphasized yesterday that the goal here is to work towards a mutually beneficial arrangement,” he said.
Russia’s foreign ministry has demanded that the United States return the Russian citizens aboard a seized oil tanker “to their homeland,” according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
The foreign ministry said Moscow is closely monitoring the US seizure of the Marinera, TASS reported.
Until recently, the ship was called the Bella 1. US forces had attempted to interdict the sanctioned ship near Venezuela last month but did not board it after it turned around and fled.
Russia then filed a formal diplomatic request – with a new name for the ship –asking the US to end its pursuit.
The Russian foreign ministry also demanded that the US “ensure humane and dignified treatment” for the Russian citizens aboard the tanker and must not “obstruct” their return to Russia.
As we’ve been reporting, two vessels linked to Venezuela were seized by the US this morning, according to US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Details on their seizure have now begun to be released. Catch up on what we know so far about what went down:
- At 8:43 a.m. ET, US European Command announced on X that it had seized a Russian-flagged tanker in the north Atlantic Ocean. Previously named the Bella 1, it was since renamed the Marinera, with a crude Russian flag painted on its side.
- Shortly after this announcement, US Southern Command announced that the US had also seized a vessel in the Caribbean. The vessel is considered to be stateless and, according to the Southern Command, it was “conducting illicit activities.”
- Both vessels were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it,” Noem said in a post on X. US Coast Guard teams worked with their counterparts at the US’ Defense, Justice and State departments, she said, using “their specialized expertise to conduct these operations and conduct two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other.”
- Russia’s Transport Ministry confirmed that it lost contact with the Marinera tanker after US forces boarded the ship at 7 a.m. ET this morning. It condemned the operation, adding that “no state has the right to use force against vessels that are properly registered in the jurisdictions of other nations” under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The US did not sign that convention.
- The UK’s defense ministry said that it helped the US with its seizure of the Marinera “following a US request for assistance.” British defense secretary John Healey accused the ship of being “part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fueling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine.”
CNN’s Nic Robertson, Natasha Bertrand, Kaanita Iyer, Darya Tarasova, Issy Ronald and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this reporting.
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