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| US President Joe Biden Refuses to Designate Russia as State Sponsor of Terrorism |
Washington - Russia welcomes the refusal of President of the United States (US) Joe Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. This was revealed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "Of course, it's a good thing that the US president said 'no'," Peskov told business outlet RBK, referring to Biden's response to questions posed to him while speaking to reporters at the White House about whether he believes Russia should be branded a state sponsor. terrorism.
"The fact that this question was asked is horrendous," he said, adding that the existence of such a problem was very difficult to think about.
However, the Kremlin official warned that such statements from the US leader should not be seen as a signal Washington is embracing a softer stance towards Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Nor would he link Biden's remarks to a recent visit by inspectors from the UN International Atomic Energy Agency to the Russian-controlled Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
Previously two US senators had urged Biden to support the move to include Russia on the list of state sponsors of terrorism to increase pressure on Moscow. Such status would require, among other things, certain controls over the export of dual-use goods, and a number of financial restrictions. Only four countries are currently designated as state sponsors of terrorism: North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Syria.
Moscow has warned that such a move would mark a "point of no return" in relations between the two countries.
In August the head of the North American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Aleksandr Darichev, hinted that the label would cause the most serious collateral damage to bilateral relations, up to a downgrade of their level and even the severance of all ties. The US State Department also appears to be against the idea.
In August, Politico reported that the agency was quietly approaching the office of Congress, warning that the appointment could derail the Ukraine grain deal and impact Washington's remaining economic relationship with Moscow.