“Blinken Fights Back”
President Joe Biden’s administration is wary of the idea of declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, despite strong calls from Congress and requests from Ukraine. says in a New York Times article.
“For several weeks, Blinken has been under pressure to officially declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. This tag is currently reserved for North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Iran. But Blinken is resisting a move that could force him to impose sanctions on US allies doing business with Russia and destroy remnants of diplomacy between Washington and Moscow.
As early as July 27, amid “outrage over Russia’s brutal military campaign in Ukraine”, the US Senate unanimously passed a non-binding resolution calling for Blinken to recognize Russia as a sponsor of terrorist attacks in Ukraine and Chechnya, Georgia. Confirmed. and Syria resulted in “the deaths of many innocent men, women and children”.
“To me, Putin now sits at the top of the state terror apparatus,” Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and co-sponsor of the resolution, told reporters after the vote.
He added that the sanctions already in place against Russia are “effective, but more needs to be done”.
However, the US Secretary of State “responded evasively.” He said any decision should be based on existing legal definitions and also suggested that this is a moot point as Russia is already under many sanctions. According to him, the sanctions currently imposed on Moscow correspond to the restrictions that will follow after the country’s recognition as a state that supports terrorism.
“So the practical implications of what we do are the same,” Blinken concluded.
Analysts interviewed by the publication said that if the Secretary of State agrees to the Senate, “it could definitively cut the already limited diplomatic ties between the administration of US President Joe Biden and Moscow.” Meanwhile, Blinken said he thinks it is important to maintain relations with Russia. On Thursday, he spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the first time since the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Under public pressure
The article states that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky openly calls for Russia to be recognized as a sponsor of terrorism. Now the U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a resolution passed by the Senate.
The authors of the material noted that disagreements between the Biden administration and Congress over the assessment of Russia’s actions in Ukraine arose immediately after February 24.
“When congressional leaders, including Ms. Pelosi, accused the Russian military of committing war crimes, Blinken was cautious, referring to legal criteria and the need for evidence and investigation. On March 16, however, President Biden reversed this stance by declaring Putin a “war criminal”.
According to NYT journalists, Biden’s statement “infuriated the Kremlin, but had no political consequences.”
Experts interviewed by the publication believe that, in response to Russia’s declaration as a terrorist-supporting country, President Vladimir Putin “could expel all American diplomats from the country.” Prior to that, Moscow allowed the US embassy to remain open and also allowed some diplomats to stay in the country, including Ambassador John Sullivan.
Even during the war in Ukraine, the United States wants to continue working with Russia on some issues, including international negotiations with Iran to re-establish the 2015 nuclear deal, to which Moscow is a party and President Donald Trump withdrew.
US Senate resolution
On July 27, the US Senate passed a resolution calling on the State Department to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism because of events in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine.
In the statement published on the website of the US Congress, it was said, “Adopted / Adopted in the Senate: The resolution adopted by voting in the Senate with its preamble and amendments”.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that if such a decision is adopted, the Kremlin is very negative about the consequences of relations with Washington. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Moscow viewed Washington’s statements about recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism as a “propaganda act”. She also promised that she would not leave such a measure unanswered.
Source: Gazeta
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