Translated with AI
The United States may officially designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism if Moscow fails to return children illegally removed from occupied Ukrainian territories. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated this in a post on the social media site X.
According to the politician, the Russian side kidnapped more than 19,000 minors during the armed conflict. "Kidnapping children from their home country is a heinous and barbaric act. As I have stated previously, I intend to advance legislation that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism if it does not return these children," Graham emphasized.
He added that such a status would make any cooperation with Russia extremely "dangerous" for other states and businesses, effectively increasing Moscow's international isolation.
The deportation of Ukrainian children is already under the scrutiny of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of organizing the removal of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Since 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly called on Washington to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Such a move would automatically impose additional restrictions on any countries and companies interacting with the Kremlin. However, the administration of former President Joe Biden previously rejected this designation, explaining that such a designation would completely block diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Washington and complicate efforts to find ways to end the war unleashed by Putin.
