Okay there’s a lot of moving parts to all this.

1) Trump has established that he is transactional.. he wields economic power.. tariffs, blockades etc.. as well as military power.. killing the Iraqi General, bombing Iran.. capturing Maduro. 

2) Either he is copying Putin.. by expanding US dominance in our back yard.. or imperialistic.. (if you’re against it) just as Putin moves against Ukraine.. and China eyes Taiwan.

In regards to Greenland, what if Trump takes Denmark (edit add.. not the Netherlands) up on their offer to disband NATO.. “Fine by me.. Russia really isn’t our problem anyway.. go ahead.. knock your selves out.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-01-05/danish-pm-warns-of-nato-s-end-should-trump-invade-greenland

Anyway, we’re about to find out who the bigger dog is in Venezuela as the shadow fleet is starting to reflag as Russian tankers approach Venezuela.

Who really is running the show?

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/05/politics/us-plans-intercept-oil-tanker

https://gcaptain.com/second-shadow-tanker-off-venezuela-reflags-to-russia-testing-u-s-seizure-policy/

The oil tanker Hyperion has reflagged to the Russian registry in what analysts say is a calculated move to shield the vessel from potential U.S. seizure, marking the second known case of a shadow fleet tanker adopting the Russian flag after a similar switch by the Bella 1, later renamed Marinera.

The maneuver underscores a new front in the long-running cat-and-mouse game between Western sanctions enforcement and a sprawling shadow fleet that moves sanctioned crude and oil products across the globe.

Is Trump Putin’s lap dog?  

Or has Putin finally gone too far?

The development comes as more than six dozen tankers, many of them fully laden, are reported to be waiting in or near Venezuelan waters. Analysts say reflagging to Russia could become the next playbook for vessels seeking to escape seizure by U.S. authorities, particularly as enforcement patterns evolve.

Hyperion is notable not only for its reflagging but also for its trading history. The vessel appears to be the first to directly link Russia’s Arctic shipping routes with the illicit Venezuelan oil and refined product trade. In December, Hyperion loaded a cargo of naphtha in Murmansk, a key Russian Arctic port, and delivered it to Venezuela, according to shipping data reviewed by analysts. 

Fold or Call? 

Who holds the Cards?