US Reviewing Whether Russia Can Be Designated As State Sponsor Of Terrorism - Blinken

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2022) The State Department legal counsel is currently reviewing whether Russia meets the criteria under US law to be labeled a state sponsor of terrorism, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

"We have the the office of our legal adviser looking at this question: about whether under the law the criteria exist to consider Russia state sponsored terrorism in the case of of Ukraine, that is under review as we speak," Blinken said during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said earlier this week that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the United States to look into whether Russia could be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, which would impose some of the most significant sanctions at the Biden administration's disposal.

Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria are the four countries currently designated by the US government as state sponsors of terrorism.