Multiple US military planes land in UK days after Trump’s raid on Venezuela

US military jets have gathered at RAF bases in Britain, the latest development in a week of global uncertainty sparked by Donald Trump’s interventions in Venezuela and Greenland.

Several C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships have been spotted in England since Saturday, according to flight tracking data and plane spotters.

The UK’s defence ministry told The Independent that it had provided “pre-planned operational support, including basing, to US military assets” ahead of the seizure of the Marinera oil tanker on Wednesday.

The aircraft arrived in several RAF bases in Suffolk and Gloucestershire, which are jointly operated by the US and the UK, but it is unclear whether they were used in the seizure of the oil tanker.

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Defence website The War Zone reported that 10 Globemaster flights departed the US for Europe on 3 January, some of which landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

At least two Ghostriders landed at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Sunday. Further aircraft are reported to have also landed at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.

American aviators were seen training in Ospreys at Fairford on Tuesday in footage shared on social media, The Times added.

The UK Ministry of Defence has refused to comment on “operational activity”.

The arrival of US planes in the UK came while the American military was pursuing the Marinera through the Atlantic.

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The vessel, registered as Russian after evading US capture in the Caribbean Sea, was passing near UK shores at the time of its seizure.

The US, UK, France, and Ireland all flew surveillance aircraft to monitor the Marinera in the past few days. The vessel was formerly called the Bella 1 before its re-registration.

Russia had sent a navy escort to join the tanker after reports on Tuesday that the US could move to seize it.

Two US officials told CBS News that American forces planned to intercept the ship, adding that they would rather seize the vessel than sink it.

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The pursuit comes just days after US forces seized former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid on Saturday night.

Mr Trump has since issued threats to countries and territories worldwide and renewed his ambitions to seize Greenland.

The White House said the “military is always an option” to achieve President Trump’s goal of taking over the territory, which he wants due to its strategic Arctic location and mineral resources.

The aggressive turn in US foreign policy in recent days has attracted widespread condemnation.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer joined Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain in stressing that “Greenland belongs to its people” in a statement on Tuesday.

“It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” they said in response to the Trump administration’s recent comments.

The UK’s deputy prime minister David Lammy will hold talks with US vice-president JD Vance on Thursday, amid the growing tensions between the Trump administration and Europe.