US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken admitted for the first time that Russia could be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism.
According to “European Truth”he said at a hearing in the US Senate Budget Committee on China.
Blinken’s statement was made during a discussion with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who insisted on the need to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
“We all want China not to help Russia here, right? There’s an idea. 100 US senators have proposed that we declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism to keep countries like China from giving them weapons,” Graham recalled.
“It’s been months and nothing has happened. Mr. Secretary of State, I like you very much, but you would never declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, would you?” – he asked.
To this, the head of American diplomacy briefly replied: “Never say never.”
Blinken went on to discuss with Senator Blinken that he believes the sanctions already in place and the powers that the United States has have been able to deter Beijing from military aid to Moscow.
Recognizing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism would lead to Moscow’s international isolation and force the US to impose additional restrictions on countries that interact with the Kremlin. It is the State Department that has the authority to determine such status.
Biden administration earlier rejected demands to recognize the Russian Federation a state sponsor of terrorism, saying that this would tie the hands of the United States in dealing with Russia as a whole and would block any diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
2023-05-16 20:29:00
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