Estonian FM warns Putin after US seizure of Russian oil tanker

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has said that recent actions by U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrate his willingness to use force and should be a cause of serious concern for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to ERR, Tsahkna described the detention of a tanker flying the Russian flag in the North Atlantic as an unprecedented incident.

He noted that details of the episode are still unclear but did not rule out that “all kinds of interesting things” could be found on board the vessel. He added that more information may emerge after a government meeting scheduled for today, January 8.

“But this nevertheless shows that tensions are very high. Second, it shows that Trump is capable of using force. He did so in Iran, he did so in Venezuela, he has been involved in a number of different operations, and now the same applies to this tanker. This is not some simple political game. It means there are certain special interests involved,” Tsahkna stressed.

On January 7, the United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic following a dramatic weekslong chase on the high seas. Simultaneously, the U.S. also announced the seizure of another sanctioned tanker, the M/T Sophia, which it said was “conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea.”

By Khagan Isayev