President Trump's actions in Venezuela also are causing unease in Western nations and giving the Kremlin fresh talking points to defend its war in Ukraine.

Even at the height of their Cold War nuclear rivalry, the United States and the Soviet Union thrashed out a series of treaties to keep the arms race from spiralling out of control.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested the two nations could voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in the New START treaty, which is set to expire on February 5.

US authorities said they had been tracking the Bella-1 since December after it attempted to evade a blockade on sanctioned oil shipments linked to Venezuela.

U.S. forces seized another “ghost” tankers suspected of illegally running oil, though it sought protection under the Russian flag.

Russia formally asked the United States to halt pursuit of Venezuelan oil tanker Marinera after the vessel escaped U.S. Coast Guard interception in the Caribbean.

BPC Chairman Md Amin Ul Ahsan told The Business Standard that these contracts are usually signed for six months to one year

A dispute between the US and European leaders over Greenland’s future has raised fears that divisions among allies are benefiting Russia’s standing in the Arctic. European officials say Greenland must remain under Danish sovereignty,

Overnight into Friday, Russia launched a large attack on Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing at least three and injuring 16 people in the capital Kyiv, according to The Associated Press news agency.

Alexei Zhuravlev's explosive statement, which included nuclear threats against Russia's enemies, comes at a time when reports indicate the Kremlin believes a confrontation with the United States is inevitable,