U.S. Takes Action Against Russian Oil Tanker
In a move that shows the U.S. is serious about enforcing rules, the U.S. military recently stopped an oil tanker that Russia was using. This tanker, previously known as Bella I, is part of what some call Russia’s “dark fleet,” which helps them get around rules put in place after their actions in Ukraine.
Experts say this action by the U.S. is unlikely to cause a big problem with Russia right now. Russia is busy with other things and doesn’t seem to want to start a fight outside of Europe.
According to Brent Sadler, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, this kind of action is rare. The U.S. usually doesn’t stop ships from other countries unless there’s a good reason to think they’re doing something wrong. In this case, the ship had changed its flag quickly, which raised suspicions.
Peter Rough, from the Hudson Institute, believes this shows the U.S. is making sure things are done fairly in its area. He also thinks Russia is trying to get on good terms with the U.S. government to help with a peace deal in Ukraine.
The tanker was stopped in international waters, and some reports say that Russia sent a submarine to watch. Even though this could have caused a tense situation, experts don’t think it will lead to a major problem between the U.S. and Russia.
John Hardie, from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, thinks Russia is worried that the U.S. might start stopping more of their oil tankers. However, he doesn’t believe this one event will change the relationship between the two countries much.
While Russia isn’t happy about what happened, they are mostly complaining through official channels. Some experts believe that if the U.S. starts targeting more of these tankers, it could have a big impact on countries like Russia and Iran.
