US State Department officials are considering any tool at their disposal to hold Russia responsible for the war in Ukraine, including the possibility of classifying Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to a senior government official. The process could take weeks before a decision is made, the official said.
“We are looking at the facts carefully. “We are carefully considering the law,” he said State Department spokesman Ned Price on CNN on Monday when asked about the possibility of classifying Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism on Monday. “Whether it is this principle or any other principle available to us under the law, we will apply it if it is effective and appropriate.”
“The state sponsor of terrorism [designation] imposes a number of restrictions … those are steps that we’ve already taken with Russia, with our financial sanctions … so the practical effect of this may not be more than what meets the name “- @StateDeptSpox w / @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/p5Z2XM0Xgn
– Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) April 18, 2022
According to the State Department, the definition of a state sponsor of terrorism is a country that “has repeatedly provided support to acts of international terrorism.” There are only four countries that are currently listed as state sponsors of terrorism by the United States: North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Syria.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Biden in one of their recent telephone conversations to designate Russia as a sponsor of terrorism, CNN reported last week.
The United States has already imposed tough sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, but adding Russia to the list would be a symbolic move that would also cost the Russian economy even more. It would lead to actions such as banning Russia from buying certain items that could be used commercially or militarily and imposing sanctions on other individuals and countries that continue to do business with Russia.
CNN
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