Vladimir Putin has sent his navy to escort an oil tanker from Venezuela, which is also being chased by US forces.

Russia said on Wednesday that the U.S. seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic was a violation of maritime law, and a senior lawmaker described it as "outright piracy".

The US executed a seizure warrant for the vessel, which she named at Bella 1, which was “responsible for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” she said.