Venezuela has accused the United States of kidnapping the crew of a detained tanker.

The Venezuelan government has accused the United States of stealing and seizing a private Venezuelan oil tanker, as well as the forced disappearance of its crew. This was announced on December 21 by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in a press release.

"This serious act of piracy is a blatant violation of the crime defined in Article 3 of the 1988 Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation," she warns.

It is specified that this action on the part of Venezuela will not be ignored and the government will take all appropriate measures.

Strike war: US intensifies attacks on ships near the coast of Venezuela

In total, at least 90 people died — how do they react to what is happening in Caracas

On December 19, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States plans to continue seizing Venezuelan tankers. He also confirmed the possibility of a military conflict and additional seizure of oil tankers.

On December 20, Reuters reported that the United States had attempted to detain another vessel off the coast of Venezuela. It was clarified that the operation was led by the US Coast Guard.

On December 20, US Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Noam confirmed the detention of a tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The head of the US Department of State added that the United States will continue to deal with the issue of the illegal movement of oil, which is used to finance drug terrorism.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.