U.S. Looks for an Alternative to the “State Sponsor of Terrorism” Designation for Russia

This designation has unintended consequences, so American politicians are now looking for a substitute. The U.S. Congress is working on an alternative to recognizing Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism”. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this in an interview with CNN. “We’re constantly looking at different measures that we can take to increase the pressure.  We’re working with Congress right now on legislation that would help us get around some of the challenges of using the State Sponsor of Terrorism designation, which has some unintended consequences,” Blinken said, adding that work is underway on ways to accomplish that goal. The U.S. has previously commented on its position on recognizing Russia as “state sponsor of terrorism”: this move would be “counterproductive.” Recall, the European Parliament recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The decision was passed with 494 votes in favor, 58 against and 44 abstentions.