Washington: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday turned down Ukraine’s demand to list Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism”. According to the AP, when President Biden was asked by a reporter if he would blacklist Russia as a terrorist state, he answered no. At the same time, in response to a question, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said that to hold Russia accountable, putting it in the category of terrorism is not the effective or the strongest way.
He further said that blacklisting Russia would hinder aid delivery to parts of war-ravaged Ukraine. Along with this, the agreement made by the United Nations and Turkey regarding the port of Ukraine will also be in jeopardy. According to the press secretary, it would also undermine America’s unprecedented multilateral coalition and could undermine the US’s ability to support Ukraine.
Ukraine’s demand
After the serial attacks on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to put Russia in the category of ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’. At least 18 people lost their lives in these attacks on shopping malls. After the US rejected the demand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said that he would continue to raise this demand every time. However, he has also said thanks for all the help given to Ukraine so far.
America has included four countries in the list
The four countries that the United States has placed on the list of terrorist countries are very small countries compared to Russia. Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Cuba are included in this list. In such a situation, putting a huge country like Russia on this list could be very heavy for America. In addition, Russia is also a permanent member of the United Nations.
