Biden rejects branding Russia 'state sponsor of terrorism'

Biden rejects branding Russia 'state sponsor of terrorism'

Rescuers clear rubble from a mall in Kremenchuk, on June 28, 2022, one of a series of Russian attacks that have led Ukraine to urge the West to label Moscow a "state sponsor of terrorism"
Rescuers clear rubble from a mall in Kremenchuk, on June 28, 2022, one of a series of Russian attacks that have led Ukraine to urge the West to label Moscow a "state sponsor of terrorism". Photo: Genya SAVILOV / AFP
Source: AFP

US President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday said it would be counterproductive to brand Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism," rejecting calls from Ukraine and lawmakers to take the far-reaching action.

Biden, asked by a reporter on Monday if he would blacklist Russia as a terrorist state, said simply, "no," after months of non-committal answers from senior officials.

Asked Tuesday whether a decision had been made, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said a terrorism designation was "not the most effective or strongest path forward" to "hold Russia accountable."

She said the designation would hamper aid delivery to parts of war-ravaged Ukraine or prevent aid groups and companies from participating in a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to ship badly needed grain from Ukraine's blockaded ports.

"It would also undercut our unprecedented multilateral (coalition) that has been so effective to holding Putin accountable and could also undermine our ability to support Ukraine" in negotiations, she told reporters.

Read also

Bolstering Asia ties, Putin watches military drills with China

A label of "state sponsor of terrorism" by the United States, the world's largest economy, has wide-ranging ramifications, with many businesses and banks unwilling to incur the risk of legal action by US prosecutors.

PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West to label Russia formally as a terrorist state following a series of attacks that killed civilians, notably a strike on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk in June in which at least 18 people died.

Latvia's parliament in August declared Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism," saying it was carrying out "genocide" against Ukrainians, but French President Emmanuel Macron in June also explicitly ruled out the label.

US lawmakers across party lines including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have urged Biden to brand Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, seeing it as a way to step up pressure after months of economic sanctions over Moscow's February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Read also

UK-France relationship set to stay testy with Truss

The United States only brands four nations as state sponsors of terrorism, all US nemeses with much smaller economies than Russia's -- Iran, Syria, North Korea and Cuba.

Cuba was added controversially back to the list in the final days of former president Donald Trump's administration, which took a hardline approach to the communist-ruled island.

The Biden administration on taking office reversed a Trump decision to brand Yemen's Iranian-backed Huthi rebels as a terrorist group, also out of concern for hampering aid.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.