Democratic and Republican members of the US Senate introduced a bill on Wednesday to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, in a move demanded by Ukraine but facing opposition from the administration of President Joe Biden.
“The need for this measure is more urgent now than ever,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the bill’s sponsors, said at a news conference, blaming civilian deaths and “brutal and violent repression” in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, another sponsor of the bill, said the designation would send a strong signal of support to Ukraine and US allies, and would have severe consequences for Russia such as allowing it to be sued in US courts for its actions in Ukraine and toughening sanctions.
It was not immediately clear when the bill would be put to a vote and whether or not it would. But the two senators have been demanding the designation for months, and they visited Kiev in July to promote the move.
Other lawmakers joined them in expressing their support for the idea. House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in July that the designation was “long overdue.”
Biden said he had no plans to place such a designation on Russia. Administration officials say they do not feel that listing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism is the best way to hold Moscow accountable, and that it could impede the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told a news briefing that the administration was discussing with lawmakers measures similar to those that the designation would impose on Russia’s economy.
“We must take into account the intended and unintended consequences” of such a designation, he added.
“We are communicating with Congress about tools that will cause similar effects on the Russian economy and the Russian government, and do not have those unintended consequences,” he added.
Moscow told Washington that diplomatic relations would be severely damaged and even severed if Russia was included in the list, which currently includes Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria.
The Blumenthal and Graham bill includes a provision that would allow the US president to suspend the designation on national security grounds after he testifies before Congress that Russia no longer supports international terrorist activities.