Moscow said on Friday that Washington had decided to free two Russian crew members from the Russian-flagged oil tanker seized by the US earlier this week.
After a weeks-long pursuit from the Caribbean to the Atlantic, US special forces boarded and seized the vessel, originally known as Bella 1 before it changed its name to Marinera, on Wednesday.
Amid the pursuit, the ship had altered its course to evade its pursuers and reflagged as Russian, while Moscow reportedly deployed a submarine to escort the tanker, though the US later said it was unclear how close Russian assets were to the operation.
It was the first known US military seizure of a Russian-flagged vessel in recent history and a display of raw strength from Washington which drew heated condemnation from the Kremlin.
Russia’s foreign ministry accused the US of “illegal use of force” and described it as an indication of Washington’s “readiness to generate acute international crisis situations.”
The US also indicated that the crew on board the Marinera could be prosecuted, something Moscow described as “categorically unacceptable.”
However, on Friday Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova thanked the US for, she claimed, deciding to free the two Russian crew members on the seized tanker.
“In response to our request, US President Donald Trump has decided to release two Russian citizens aboard the Marinera tanker, previously detained by the United States during an operation in the North Atlantic,” Zakharova said.
“We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership. We are starting to urgently address all issues related to ensuring the speedy return of our compatriots to their homeland,” she added.
The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States of America was reported to have confirmed that Ukrainian citizens were also on board the Marinera.