U.S. seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker with ties to Venezuela

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0:23Today on State of the World, after an extended chase at sea, the U.S. seizes a Russian-flagged oil tanker with ties to Venezuela.

0:39You're listening to State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories, up close with their happening. It's Wednesday, December 7th. I'm Christine Arismeth. In a moment, Danes and Greenlanders respond to President Donald Trump's remarks about the U.S. annexing Greenland. First, around two weeks ago, U.S. ships tried to stop an oil tanker in the Caribbean, But the tanker refused to cooperate, changing course and heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. forces finally seized the ship as it was sailing with a Russian flag in the North Atlantic between Britain and Iceland. It's a very strange tale with many twists and turns.

1:23NPR national security correspondent Greg Myrie spoke to Juana Summers on All Things Considered. We know the U.S. started seizing these sanctioned oil tankers a month ago, part of the ghost fleet of these shady private operators worldwide who transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela, Russia, Iran. So two ships were seized in the Caribbean, no big deal. Then the U.S. forces tried to stop and seize another one in late December called the Bella One. It was believed to be heading to Venezuela to pick up oil, but the Bella One refused to stop. It changed course and headed out to the Atlantic and then toward northern Europe, and the U.S.

2:03forces were pursuing it. Now, along the way, the Bella One changed its name. The crew painted a new name on the hull of the ship, the Marinara. It also changed flags from the flag of Guyana into the flag of Russia, all while the U.S. forces are chasing it. Interesting. Okay, so how did this culminate today? Well, this nautical makeover did not deter the U.S. forces. According to a U.S. official, the troops boarded the ship in the North Atlantic, north of Britain and south of Iceland, several thousand miles from where this all began. Now, the U.S. officials say the ship and the crew are now being brought to the U.S.

2:41Many critics are saying the Trump administration is carrying out these dramatic actions, but doesn't really have a strategy for dealing with Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded today. We don't want it descending into chaos. Part of that stabilization and the reason why we understand and believe that we have the strongest leverage possible is our quarantine. So the U.S. is now controlling the flow of Venezuela's oil. It expects to get up to 50 million barrels from the country. 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.

3:20So President Trump has also talked about this and the details are still emerging. What have we heard, if anything, from the Russians? Well, the Russian Transportation Ministry said it gave the ship temporary permission to fly the Russian flag on December 24th. It added that, quote, freedom of navigation rules operate in the open sea and no government has the right to use force against ships. So clear Russian opposition, but in a formal measured way, Russia isn't making any threats or talking about retaliation. Here's a question I have. Why would Russia allow this tanker to fly its flag? Yeah, Russia hasn't given a clear answer.

3:55It is possible. Russia thought this might deter the U.S. from seizing the ship. Russia is an ally of Venezuela, but didn't really do much to prevent this U.S. campaign. So perhaps it thought allowing a tanker to fly its flag was a low-cost way of assisting Venezuela. Stepping back a second, how does this U.S. move fit with its larger operation against Venezuela? So with former President Nicolas Maduro now in U.S. custody, the campaign is increasingly focused on Venezuela's oil. The U.S. actually seized a second oil tanker today, the Sofia in the Caribbean. The U.S. says this is also a sanctioned tanker.

4:32President Trump is expected to talk with U.S. oil companies on Friday. He wants them to go into Venezuela as soon as possible. That's NPR national security correspondent Greg Myrie speaking to Wana Summers on All Things Considered. Now to Denmark, where politicians are dealing with widespread fears over U.S. official statements about taking over the Danish territory of Greenland. The massive Arctic island is sparsely populated, but President Trump has repeatedly said it's crucial for American security interests and that it should be part of the United States. Reporter Adrian Murray in Copenhagen reports that very few Danes or Greenlanders think that's a good idea.

5:20In Denmark's snow-covered capital, Trump's repeated threats to take over Greenland have been seen as a serious provocation. But still there's hope that tensions might thaw, as Danish and Greenlandic officials meet with the US Secretary of State next week. Lars Lekker Rasmussen is Denmark's foreign minister. I have asked for a meeting to replace the shouting competition on social media with a more sensible dialogue. Here in the halls of the Danish parliament, all the talk is about President Trump's threats to take over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. And especially American officials saying using military force remains an option.

6:06The latest discussions are about alleged American plans to not invade, but buy it. But there's a problem with that plan, says Aya Chimnitz, a Member of Parliament from Greenland. Greenland is not for sale, never will be for sale. So that's the opinion from the Greenlandic people and the majority in Greenland. For the 57 ,000-strong largely Inuit population there, the bullying, tough talk of a superpower is not just a worry, it's a source of frustration, says Masana Il, the editor-in-chief of Greenlandic newspaper Samitziak. It's not gone down well in Greenland. I've heard it before and we're hearing it again.

6:46And the problem is that the Greenlandic people do not want to be annexed or taken over by another country, no matter who they are. Denmark has committed$15 billion to boosting Arctic defence and to respond to Trump's claims that the US needs Greenland for security reasons. But experts here still don't understand the president's rationale. Peter Viggo Jakobsen is from the Danish Defence Academy. It's very, very hard to see what the US would gain from taking over Greenland. They already have military bases out there and they have a base agreement allowing them to build any additional base or any additional installation that they would want.

7:28They can also make a mineral agreement with Greenland if they so desire. The bells of the parliament building ring out over the freezing winter streets of Copenhagen as the politicians get down to work. Greenlandic representative Chemnitz says all the talk of money and security threats can only fall on deaf ears back home. If we were to be American, our society would completely change. So I don't see a majority in Greenland being interested. And you can waive as much money as you want in front of the Greenlanders. And I don't think that's the way forward. The way forward for Denmark's leaders is to take that message to US officials in next week's talks.

8:11and to hope that the country's partners in the European Union and NATO continue to stand by it in trying to persuade the American president to give up his plans to take over Greenland. For NPR News, I'm Adrienne Murray in Copenhagen.

8:36That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.