Russia has formally asked the United States to stop its pursuit of an oil tanker that was originally en route to Venezuela and has managed to stay out of US custody for nearly two weeks, according to two sources familiar with the issue.
The diplomatic protest, delivered to the US State Department on New Year’s Eve, coincided with the vessel’s appearance on Russia’s official ship registry under a new name.
The tanker, previously known as Bella 1, had reversed course after US authorities attempted to seize it.
While the request, first reported by The New York Times, adds a new diplomatic wrinkle, it remains uncertain whether it will deter Washington’s efforts to intercept the ship.
Publicly available tracking data, also cited by The Times, shows the tanker currently navigating the North Atlantic.
The development comes amid broader diplomatic engagement between Washington and Moscow, as the Trump administration presses ahead with efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump has reportedly spoken twice with Russian President Vladimir Putin within the past week.
Neither the White House, the State Department, nor the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC, responded to requests for comment.
US Coast Guard operations targeting the tanker are part of a wider escalation against Venezuela and its leader, Nicolás Maduro.
These actions include an expanded US military presence in the Caribbean and dozens of strikes on vessels Washington claims are involved in drug trafficking.
Those maritime strikes have resulted in numerous deaths and sparked legal and ethical concerns, particularly as they appear to contradict Trump’s campaign promise to reduce US involvement abroad.
Despite this, the administration has intensified pressure, with CNN previously reporting that the CIA carried out a drone strike last month on a Venezuelan port facility.
The pursuit of the Bella 1 follows Trump’s declaration last month of a full blockade on sanctioned oil tankers traveling to or from Venezuela. Two other tankers were seized by US authorities earlier in December.
The Coast Guard’s chase began nearly two weeks ago, after the vessel evaded seizure on December 21 by abruptly turning around in the Caribbean when interdiction was attempted en route to Venezuela to load oil.
Although Trump has consistently framed the aggressive posture toward Venezuela as part of an effort to curb drug smuggling into the United States, senior officials have offered a different perspective.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles suggested in interviews with Vanity Fair published last month that the real objective is political change in Caracas.
She said Trump wants to “keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”
