NYT: Russia Has Asked The US To Stop Pursuing An Oil Tanker

The Trump administration continues to deem the tanker "state-less."

The Russian government has formally sent a diplomatic request to the United States to stop pursuing a tanker that was headed to Venezuela.

According to The New York Times.

Sources who agreed to speak to the newspaper on condition of anonymity said the Russian request was delivered to the U.S. State Department late Wednesday night. It was also sent to the White House Homeland Security Council, one of the sources said.

The dispute over the tanker comes at a time when President Donald Trump is seeking a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine and has repeatedly complained about the failure to end the war. Russia's demand that the U.S. stop pursuing the vessel could add new complications to the talks and heighten tensions between the two countries over Venezuela.

American forces have been tracking the tanker, known as Bella 1, for nearly two weeks. The vessel, which began its journey in Iran, was on its way to Venezuela for oil when U.S. forces tried to stop it and board it in the Caribbean Sea.

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

Since then, the ship has tried to obtain Russian protection: the crew painted a Russian flag on board and told the Coast Guard by radio that they were sailing under the Russian flag.

The Bella 1 recently appeared in Russia's official ship registry under the new name Marinera with a port of embarkation in Sochi.

The White House declined official comment. But a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity about the ongoing case said the Trump administration continues to consider the tanker "stateless" because it was sailing under a false flag when it was first approached by the Coast Guard.

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