RAF spy plane ‘spotted’ as Trump-Putin tensions explode over tanker | UK | News
An RAF spy plane appears to have flown over the path of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic after the vessel reportedly escaped a US naval blockade of Venezuela. The Marinera, a Russian-flagged tanker previously known as the Bella 1, appeared to be making its way north-east through the Atlantic. A number of media outlets have suggested it avoided US President Donald Trump‘s “total naval blockade” of the South American country, which has been in place since late December.
Open source platforms which track shipping showed the vessel south of Iceland and west of Ireland and Britain as of Tuesday, travelling northwards. An RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance plane, which left RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire on Tuesday (January 6), appears to have flown over the same area of the Atlantic on flight tracking platforms.
News of the flight comes amid reports Russia has sent a submarine and other “naval assets” to escort the empty oil tanker, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing an unnamed US official.
US aircraft have reportedly been monitoring the tanker’s journey, with US intelligence sources telling CBS that American forces plan to intercept the ship and board it.
Downing Street has so far refused to comment on the tracking of the vessel, either by Britain or the United States.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added: “The US is the UK’s most important defence and security partner, and the depth of our defence relationship with the US remains an essential part of our security.
“I’m just not going to comment on speculation around operational activity, especially regarding other nations.”
The pursuit of the Marinera comes after the Trump administration’s strikes over the weekend in Venezuela, and the middle-of-the-night capture of its president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday when he pleaded not guilty to “narco-terrorism” charges and claimed he was a prisoner of war. His deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as interim leader.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced pressure from his own backbenchers to be more openly critical of the US, amid suggestions Mr Trump may have broken international law.
Those critics include Dame Emily Thornberry, the chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
Among the international laws the US may have breached, if it provides no justification for the attacks, is the founding charter of the United Nations.
Article 2 of the UN Charter says all members should refrain from “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”.
The Prime Minister has so far been reluctant to criticise the US, with Europe still looking to Washington to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
On Monday, he would only say that international law must be the “anchor” for Venezuela’s future and that it was up to the US to justify its actions.
