The seizure of the Russian-flagged oil tanker “Marinera“ is a signal from US President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “The Telegraph“ reported, citing former and current US officials.
The US president's decisions to seize the Russian-flagged tanker and support the new sanctions bill against Moscow are a signal to Putin that Russia must hurry to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, according to sources in the newspaper.
“He is using the carrot and stick approach. And I think he has run out of carrots,“ a source close to Trump's inner circle told the newspaper.
Another source added that the strategy he believes Russia is following in the negotiations is increasingly more “tires“ Trump.
“The administration is tired of the Russians using the “two steps forward, one step back“ strategy. They seem ready, but when problems arise where we thought they would be ready to back down, they either escalate the offensive or temporarily suspend negotiations“, explained the former American official.
According to sources of “The Telegraph“, the Republican is increasingly disappointed with Putin. Washington has begun to converge with the opinion of its European allies that the Russian side is slowly buying time, the sources say.
Trump has repeatedly expressed disappointment with Putin over the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. However, the US president remains confident that peace will be achieved between Russia and Ukraine.
The tanker „Marinera“ was detained by the US Coast Guard on January 7. Washington justified the operation with a violation of sanctions and suspected that the ship was using a false flag. Moscow denied these accusations, stating that on December 24, 2025, the tanker received a legal temporary permit to sail under the Russian flag, which the American side was notified of.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the detention of the ship a violation of international maritime law and freedom of navigation and demanded that the crew be treated properly and repatriated.
Trump supported another round of sanctions against Russia, including secondary tariffs of 500% on imports from countries buying Russian oil, uranium and gas. As explained by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, the initiative is intended to serve as leverage against China, India and Brazil. Consideration of the bill in Congress has previously been postponed several times, and Trump has stated that he abstained from new sanctions, so as not to hinder the peaceful resolution of the problem.