US Senators Push to Designate Russia as State Sponsor of Terrorism Following Putin-Kim Agreement

US Senators from both major political parties, Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, have introduced a bill to designate Russia as state sponsor of terrorism.

This move comes in response to a strategic partnership agreement signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

According to “Voice of America” Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, argued that Russia’s actions in Ukraine and other global locations, coupled with Putin’s recent visit to North Korea, necessitate the immediate adoption of this bill.

He stated, “The fact that he (Putin) had the audacity to sign a defence agreement with North Korea… one of the most repressive regimes on the planet, means that we have lost deterrence… I urge the administration, considering what Putin did yesterday, to go all-in and designate his regime as what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism.”

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal echoed Graham’s sentiments, describing the Putin-Kim agreement as “deeply alarming” and “hostile to the United States, peace, freedom, and justice around the world.”

The senators cited several incidents as grounds for classifying Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

These include

• the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians;
• the poisoning of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in 2004;
• the assassination of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko in 2006;
• the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 350 over Donetsk in 2014;
• the support for the aerial bombardment of Aleppo in Syria in 2016;
• the poisoning of former Russian military officer and double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK in 2018;
• and the recent death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024.

The senators emphasised that the bill could be brought to a vote sooner rather than later, with Blumenthal noting bipartisan support for the legislation within Congress. He also mentioned ongoing cooperation with the Biden administration regarding the bill.

Graham remarked that he does not view the designation of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism as a provocative step by Washington.

Background:

In September 2022, US President Joe Biden opposed the inclusion of Russia on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

However, in late July 2022, the US Senate unanimously approved a resolution urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism due to its actions in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine.

The US State Department is responsible for designating countries as state sponsors of terrorism. Despite pressure from Congress and appeals from Ukraine, the State Department has so far refrained from taking this step.

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