The seizure of the oil tanker Marinera by US forces in neutral waters has been interpreted as a political signal from US President Donald Trump to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, according to The Telegraph, citing sources within the US establishment.

According to these sources, the White House decision to detain the tanker sailing under the Russian flag, alongside Trump’s support for a new sanctions bill targeting Moscow, was meant to send a clear message: Russia is expected to speed up efforts to resolve the conflict. In Washington’s view, the move was designed to raise the stakes for the Kremlin.

One source familiar with Trump’s inner circle described the US president’s approach as a mix of pressure and incentives, noting that the incentive side of that strategy has effectively run out. Another interlocutor said Trump has grown increasingly weary of Moscow’s negotiating tactics.

A former US official told the newspaper that the American administration is frustrated by what it sees as Russia’s pattern of «two steps forward, one step back». According to this assessment, Moscow signals readiness for compromise, but when talks reach points where concessions seem possible, it either escalates military actions or temporarily pulls away from negotiations.

Sources cited by The Telegraph say Trump’s irritation with Putin’s approach is deepening. Washington, they add, is increasingly aligning with European allies who believe the Kremlin is deliberately dragging out the negotiation process.

The Marinera was detained by the US Coast Guard on January 7, 2026. American authorities justified the operation by citing alleged sanctions violations and suspicions that the vessel was operating under a false flag. Moscow rejected these claims, stating that the tanker received temporary authorization to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, 2025, and that US authorities had been duly informed.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the seizure, calling it a violation of international maritime law and the principle of freedom of navigation.