U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal have introduced a bipartisan bill to recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, Voice of America reports.
Currently, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria are considered state sponsors of terrorism under US law. The governments of these countries have repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism.
"I look forward to voting on our bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law for several reasons. First and foremost, this designation will greatly increase the tools available to the United States to punish Putin for his barbaric behaviour in Ukraine and his destructive actions across Africa and the world. Putin's Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism, and it is long past time to officially recognise this under the law," Graham said in a statement.
Blumenthal, a Democrat, said that Russia has earned its place in the pariah club of state sponsors of terrorism by unleashing a "brutal campaign of violence and aggression" in Ukraine and committing "countless atrocities and crimes against humanity, sowing terror and death among thousands of innocent civilians."
According to him, designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism will allow the United States to more aggressively combat Putin's brutality and the threat he poses to freedom and democracy.
Voice of America adds that the bill to designate the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism will have secondary effects, including sanctions on countries that cooperate with Russia, an expanded list of dual-use goods that will be banned from export to Russia, and a significant limitation of Russian sovereignty in the position of US courts. This will open up the possibility of lawsuits and other civil claims from victims of Moscow-sponsored terrorism.