U.S. senators from the Democratic and Republican parties introduced legislation that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
This is reported by Reuters.
"The need for this measure is more pressing than ever before," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the authors of the bill, said at a press conference.
Another author of the bill, Republican Lindsey Graham, said that this step would send a strong signal of support for Ukraine to Kyiv. It will also allow Russia to be sued in US courts because of its actions in Ukraine and to strengthen sanctions.
Other US lawmakers also supported the idea. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in July that the decision was "long overdue."
In turn, the Kremlin told Washington that diplomatic relations between the countries would be severely damaged or even severed if Russia were to be added to the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Currently, this list includes four countries: Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria.
- On July 31, the Lower House of the US Congress presented a bill on recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Senate has already passed such a resolution, but the final word rests with the US State Department.
- On August 19, the mass media wrote that the US State Department unofficially warned Congress about the negative consequences of recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. They say that this will make it difficult to fulfill any agreements with the Russian Federation.
- US President Joe Biden also said that Russia should not be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism. Asked by reporters whether Russia should be considered a state sponsor of terrorism, Biden answered: "No."
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, argued why the United States has not yet recognized Russia as a sponsor of terrorism. He emphasized that Ukraine understands the US position, but does not share it.