According to the publication, the assignment of this status is a half-measure against the background of the unwillingness of the White House to include Russia in the list of countries that sponsor terrorism, as requested by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.WASHINGTON, December 21.
/tass/. The US Congress, together with the White House, is actively working on a bill that will allow Russia to be assigned the status of an "aggressor state". This was reported on Tuesday by The Hill newspaper, citing its sources in the Capitol.
According to the publication, the assignment of such a status is a half-measure against the background of the White House's unwillingness to include Russia in the list of countries that sponsor terrorism, as requested by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. At the same time, there is no term "aggressor state" in American legislation, which complicates the legal elaboration of a regulatory legal act.
At the moment, the text of the document is being coordinated with the US presidential administration, and lawmakers intend to submit it to Congress as soon as possible. According to The Hill, after reviewing the draft bill, it will give the US president the right to personally assign the status of an "aggressor state" against any foreign state if "it becomes involved in an act of aggression against Ukraine." In addition, the head of state will be able to impose sanctions on individuals if they are "responsible, involved or complicit" in such actions.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the Joe Biden administration is working with lawmakers in Congress to increase pressure on Russia, while avoiding the negative consequences that would result in the inclusion of the Russian Federation in the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
The White House stressed in September that the decision of the US administration not to include Russia in the American list of countries that sponsor terrorism is final. Kiev appealed to Washington to include Russia in it. Similar proposals were made by a number of members of Congress. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called these initiatives "a measure of an idiotic nature," warning that such steps by the United States would not remain unanswered by Moscow.
The mentioned list may include states that, according to Washington, "have repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism." The American administration has broad powers in terms of imposing sanctions against the persons involved in the list. The US Treasury can take measures against those legal entities and individuals, as well as states that trade with countries on the list. Currently, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria appear on the list.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request from the leaders of the Donbass republics for help. After that, the West imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia and increased arms supplies to Kiev in the amount of billions of dollars.
