Senators propose designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism
8:21 AM EDT, June 21, 2024
Two American senators, after Putin visited North Korea, have prepared a bill stating that Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism. According to them, passing such a bill would blow the Russian economy.
On Thursday, senators from both major political parties in the United States—Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Republican Lindsey Graham—jointly presented a bill aiming to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. In their view, passing such a bill would severely affect the Russian economy, presenting a significant burden.
Both senators emphasized its far-reaching implications during the press conference where the bill was presented. They mentioned secondary sanctions for countries that maintain close economic relations with Russia and an expansion of the list of goods whose exports to Russia would be prohibited. Furthermore, the bill would pave the way for victims of Russian aggression to file claims against Russia in American courts.
Senator Graham stressed that passing the bill would provide strong moral support for Ukrainians. Conceding that the U.S. has "lost deterrence" with Russia, Graham said the designation would provide a "morale boost" to Ukraine. According to him, the motivation for submitting the bill was Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to sign a defense pact with North Korea, a country already officially recognized by the USA as a state sponsor of terrorism.
"What else needs to be done?"
"We're going to insist on a vote. The best thing we could do, I think, to shape the future is to label Putin a terrorist leader because he is. This would have enormous benefit in Ukraine, I think. So I look forward to being able to have a vote on our bill. Here's a general rule: anybody that does a defense agreement with North Korea should be a state-sponsored terrorist," added Senator Graham.
The same senators had already submitted a similar bill in 2022 but in the form of a non-binding resolution. This time, however, they decided to submit a formal bill that would require the State Department to place Russia on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Four countries are on this list: Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Cuba.
When asked when the Senate could begin work on the bill, Senators Blumenthal and Graham replied that they hoped it would happen "sooner rather than later." So far, the U.S. administration has resisted Congress's pressure on this matter, arguing that placing Russia on this list could lead to undesirable consequences, such as difficulties for humanitarian organizations trying to deliver aid to Ukraine. Nevertheless, many politicians from both parties, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, support such a move.
