“This will be the point of no return.” Russia warns US of threat to disrupt diplomatic relations

Alexander Darchiev, Director of the North American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said about the legislative initiative discussed in the US Congress to declare the Russian Federation a sponsor of terrorism: there is no turning back with the most serious collateral damage, up to a decrease in bilateral diplomatic relations, their level and even their gap. The American side has been warned” (quote from TASS).

The diplomat also added that the current situation has become extremely turbulent because “US-led Westerners have violated absolute taboos in international law and diplomatic practice.” At the same time, he stressed that any discussion of what is and is not possible in the context of relations between Moscow and Washington is currently “hypothetical”.

Pelosi Initiative

Syria, Iran, North Korea and Cuba are currently on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. The status of these countries allows Washington to impose additional sanctions against them, completely ban the sale of weapons and dual-use goods, and stop economic aid. On July 21, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi addressed Secretary of State Anthony Blinken with a request to initiate the procedure to include Russia on this list. A week later, the initiative was supported in the Senate.

According to published on site In the congress document, the Russian Federation is accused of conducting a terrorist campaign against civilians during the Second Chechen campaign and supporting the Donbass republics, as well as the campaign in Syria.

State Department spokesman Ned Price stressed that the initiative will be considered in line with US law. “First, it goes without saying that we have to obey the law in all cases. And when it comes to state sponsorship of terrorism, there are criteria that the Minister of Foreign Affairs must comply with… To continue to hold Russia accountable, we will examine the facts and take action in accordance with the law and these facts, the price was promised.

What about the European Union?

On August 11, Latvian Saeima declared Russia a “sponsor of terrorism”. Deputies also called on European Union countries to stop issuing tourist and entry visas to Russians and Belarusians as soon as possible.

According to the news on the Latvian Parliament’s website, Seimas adopted a statement regarding the targeted military attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and public space, where Russia’s violence against civilians is considered terrorism and Russia is a state that supports terrorism. .

On 12 August, German parliamentarian Gunnar Beck said that Riga’s decision had no basis and the EU had no evidence of Moscow’s guilt.

Zelensky’s call

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on all countries of the world to recognize Russia as a terrorist state immediately after the start of a special military operation. “We urge all countries of the world to immediately and effectively respond to the tactics of the aggressor and declare Russia a terrorist country,” he said in a video message on March 1.

“We demand full accountability for terrorists in international courts,” the politician said.

On April 15, Zelensky personally addressed US President Joe Biden to add Russia to the list of states that support terrorism.

According to newspaper sources Washington postIn response, the American leader promised to increase the pressure on Moscow, but did not say anything about being included on the “terrorist list”.

As WP points out, Washington never added the Soviet Union to the list, despite Moscow’s support for groups considered terrorists in the US during the 1970s and 1980s. The US administration used the term “terrorist” cautiously in principle, listing only rogue states that the US was not interested in.

Recognizing a country as a sponsor of terrorism can have a number of consequences, including imposing economic sanctions on dozens of other states that continue to cooperate with it, freezing assets in the United States, and banning various types of exports. .

In addition, countries are rarely removed from the list once they are on the list – only in the event of an extraordinary event, whether it is a regime change like in Iraq in 2004 after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein or significant changes in the regime. Washington’s own policy. Sudan, for example, was delisted 27 years later as part of the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to encourage countries to normalize relations with Israel.