According to Global Times, the U.S. New York Times reported on January 1 local time, citing informed sources that Russia has formally made a diplomatic request to the U.S., asking Washington to stop intercepting the "Bella 1" oil tanker, which was originally planned to sail to the coast of Venezuela. Informed sources said that the request was delivered to the U.S. Department of State late on New Year's Eve and also sent to the White House National Security Council. Neither U.S. nor Russian officials have responded so far.
Photo of the "Bella 1" oil tanker, source: foreign media
The New York Times stated that at the time of this dispute over the oil tanker, President Trump was trying to mediate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine and had repeatedly complained about being unable to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The report said that Russia's request for the U.S. to stop intercepting the oil tanker could add new variables to the negotiations and further escalate tensions between the two countries over the issue of Venezuela.
The report said that the U.S. had tracked the "Bella 1" for nearly two weeks. The oil tanker set sail from Iran, originally planned to go to Venezuela to load oil, but it encountered U.S. attempts to intercept it in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. stated that the "Bella 1" did not fly a valid flag and could be boarded under international law, and that it held an arrest warrant, but the crew of the "Bella 1" did not cooperate with the boarding inspection and instead sailed into the Atlantic. Over the following days, the oil tanker tried to seek protection from Russia, with its crew painting the Russian flag on the ship's body and informing the U.S. Coast Guard by radio that it "was under Russian jurisdiction." Recently, the "Bella 1" appeared in the Russian official vessel register under the new name "Marinele," with its home port being Sochi on the Black Sea coast.
The New York Times mentioned that although the "Bella 1" has little chance of gaining Russian protection under international law, if Russia intervenes diplomatically, it may make the U.S. attempt to seize the oil tanker more complicated.
The report said that the White House refused to comment on the matter. The U.S. Department of State and the Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An anonymous U.S. official stated that the U.S. government still regarded the oil tanker as a "stateless" vessel because when the Coast Guard first approached it, the vessel was flying a false flag.
It is understood that the "Bella 1" is the third oil tanker that the U.S. has intercepted (or attempted to intercept) to pressure Venezuela. Previously, on December 10, 2025, the U.S. forcibly seized the "Captain" oil tanker near the waters of Venezuela and then announced the confiscation of the oil it carried. At 12:00 a.m. on December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and inspected the "Century" super tanker, which flew the Panamanian flag. This oil tanker was not on the U.S. sanctions list, but the White House stated that the crude oil it was carrying at the time came from a Venezuelan oil company sanctioned by the U.S. The New York Times said that a series of actions involving the interception and seizure of oil tankers marked a "significant escalation" of the U.S. effort to pressure Venezuelan President Maduro. Maduro condemned the U.S. actions as "pirate looting."
Sources: Global Times, Jimu News
Original: toutiao.com/article/7590612444414804490/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.