The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has backed a resolution calling on US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to recognize Russia as a sponsor of terrorism. He also supported a resolution condemning the use of hunger as a weapon of war.
This was reported by Radio Svoboda.
"So far, this is only a resolution supported by the committee. The final decision must be made by the presidential administration. This is a resolution of the committee, which calls on the administration, but is not a de facto recognition of Russia as a sponsor of terrorism," said Delaware Democratic Senator Chris Koons.
At the same time, senators believe that this resolution will have strong support during the vote in the Senate. This will put additional pressure on the White House to recognize Russia as a sponsor of terrorism.
"The next step is for the US Secretary of State. He must make that confession. But here in the Senate, we expect significant support for this resolution. Thatʼs why I think it will have an impact on the Secretary of State," said Republican Senator James Rich.
The US State Department has long compiled a list of sponsors of terrorism. Inclusion on this list results in harsh US sanctions on those countries, including arms embargoes, a ban on economic aid, control over the sale of dual-use goods, and so on. The vast majority of these sanctions have already been imposed on Russia. There are currently four countries on this list: Syria, Iran, Cuba, and North Korea.