On January 1, local time, the US “New York Times” quoted people familiar with the matter as breaking the news that Russia has officially submitted a diplomatic request to the US to stop chasing the “Bella 1” tanker originally planned to sail off the coast of Venezuela. People familiar with the matter said that the request was delivered to the US Department of State late on New Year's Eve, and also sent to the White House Homeland Security Committee. The US and Russia have yet to respond to this. The “New York Times” said that at the time of the dispute over this tanker, US President Trump was trying to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and complained many times that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict could not be ended. The report said that Russia's demand that the US stop chasing the tanker may add new variables to the negotiations and at the same time increase the tension between the two countries over the Venezuelan issue. The report said that the US side has been tracking the “Bella 1” for almost two weeks. The tanker sailed from Iran and was originally planned to go to Venezuela to load oil, but was intercepted and boarded by the US side in the Caribbean Sea. The US side stated that the “Bella 1” did not fly a valid national flag and could board the ship in accordance with international law, and claimed that they had a seizure order, but the crew of the “Bella 1” did not cooperate with the boarding inspection and instead sailed into the Atlantic Ocean. Over the next few days, the tanker tried to seek Russian protection. The crew painted the Russian flag on the hull and told the US Coast Guard via radio that it “sailed under Russian jurisdiction.”

On January 1, local time, the US “New York Times” quoted people familiar with the matter as breaking the news that Russia has officially submitted a diplomatic request to the US to stop chasing the “Bella 1” tanker originally planned to sail off the coast of Venezuela. People familiar with the matter said that the request was delivered to the US Department of State late on New Year's Eve, and also sent to the White House Homeland Security Committee. The US and Russia have yet to respond to this. The “New York Times” said that at the time of the dispute over this tanker, US President Trump was trying to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and complained many times that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict could not be ended. The report said that Russia's demand that the US stop chasing the tanker may add new variables to the negotiations and at the same time increase the tension between the two countries over the Venezuelan issue. The report said that the US side has been tracking the “Bella 1” for almost two weeks. The tanker sailed from Iran and was originally planned to go to Venezuela to load oil, but was intercepted and boarded by the US side in the Caribbean Sea. The US side stated that the “Bella 1” did not fly a valid national flag and could board the ship in accordance with international law, and claimed that they had a seizure order, but the crew of the “Bella 1” did not cooperate with the boarding inspection and instead sailed into the Atlantic Ocean. Over the next few days, the tanker tried to seek Russian protection. The crew painted the Russian flag on the hull and told the US Coast Guard via radio that it “sailed under Russian jurisdiction.”