In an interview with Suspilne, Ukrainian Ambassador to the USA Oksana Markarova said that the key priority for 2023, which the entire diplomatic corps is working on, is to give Russia the right status.
“Of course, we understand that it is not a sponsor of terrorism. This status was once invented specifically for countries that provide assistance to terrorist organizations on their or other territory. And Russia itself is a terrorist.
That is, it is a country that has a regular army, a government, a president , so to speak, the chosen one. They are all war criminals. They are all engaged in aggression and terrorism,” the diplomat said.
She said that one of the alternative options that has been discussed and which has not yet been adopted is to find a new category for Russia and pass a new law in Congress, calling the Russian Federation an aggressor state, or a terrorist state, or an aggressor state that commits acts of terrorism regarding the civilian population.
Who recognized the Russian Federation as a sponsor of terrorism
- The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine recognized the Russian Federation as a terrorist state on April 14, 2022. On May 3, 2022, Ukraine appealed to the House of Representatives and the Senate of the US Congress with a call to recognize the Russian Federation as a sponsor of terrorism.
- On October 13, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution recognizing Russia as a terrorist regime. On November 23, the European Parliament recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and a state that uses means of terrorism.
- On November 21, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly recognized Russia as a terrorist state, and also supported the resolution, which calls for the creation of a special tribunal on the fact of Russian aggression.
- On November 24, the House of Representatives of the Netherlands recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism due to its invasion of Ukraine.
- On December 7, the US Senate Committee approved a resolution recognizing the actions of the Russian Federation as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia also recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
- In addition, on December 14, the Polish Seimas adopted a resolution recognizing the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism. Polish MPs also stated that the Russian Federation had committed an act of international piracy, “by militarily blocking Ukrainian ports and paralyzing sea communications on the routes leading to them, without declaring war.”
