New Bill to Designate Russia ‘State Sponsor of Terror’ Is Bipartisan

(ConservativeInsider.org) – Senators from both sides of the aisle are sponsoring a bill that seeks to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism as the Kremlin enters a defense pact with authoritarian North Korea.

Conservative senator Lindsey Graham and liberal senator Richard Blumenthal joined hands to introduce the law in the upper chamber of Congress. According to Graham, this is the time to hold Russia accountable for its barbaric actions in Ukraine, Africa, and largely the whole world.

The controversial military deal empowers both countries to defend each other in case either is attacked. Similarly, both countries will be able to exchange military technology and Russia will get more ammunition from North Korea to use in its military offensive against Ukraine.

If the bill is passed into law, it would allow the US government to impose new sanctions on Moscow and reduce the possibility of any American aid to Russia. Other countries engaging with Russia can also face sanctions from the State Department. The US and Russia bilateral trade, from which Russia has managed to make a significant amount of money, will also be drastically reduced. In 2023 alone, the US had a trade deficit of $3.97 billion with Russia.

The United States has already declared North Korea as the state sponsoring terrorism. Other countries on the list include Iran, Cuba, and Syria, and all of them face chronic monetary and diplomatic sanctions from the US.

Graham rejected the notion that the US is climbing up the ladder of escalation by introducing this bill. Instead, Graham claimed, Russia is involved in signing a controversial pact with North Korea, and any country that establishes such relations with Kim Jong Un’s regime should be considered as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Putin called this agreement a response to the efforts of the Western countries which have allowed Ukraine to use their weapons in Russian territories. He suggested that Russia will go “to the end” in order to achieve its strategic objectives in Ukraine.