Russia asks US to stop pursuing oil tanker

The Russian request was delivered to the US State Department late Wednesday evening. It was also sent to the White House National Security Council, one source told The New York Times.

The dispute over the tanker comes at a time when President Donald Trump is trying to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine and has repeatedly complained about the inability to end the war. Russia's demand that the US stop pursuing the vessel could add new complications to the negotiations and heighten tensions between the two countries over Venezuela.

US forces had been tracking the tanker, known as Bella 1, for nearly two weeks. The vessel, which began its journey in Iran, was heading for Venezuela with oil when US forces attempted to stop it and board it in the Caribbean Sea.

US authorities said the vessel did not have the proper national flag, making it a vessel subject to detention under international law. However, the crew of the Bella 1 refused to comply and headed back to the Atlantic Ocean.

Since then, the ship has sought protection from Russia: the crew painted a Russian flag on board and informed the coast guard by radio that they were sailing under the Russian flag.

Recently, Bella 1 appeared in Russia's official ship registry under the new name Marinera, with its port of registry in Sochi.

The White House declined to comment officially. But an American official, speaking on condition of anonymity about the current case, said the Trump administration continues to consider the tanker “stateless” because it was flying a false flag when it was first approached by the Coast Guard.

Photo: marinetraffic.com.