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The European Parliament on Wednesday named Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, saying Moscow’s military strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated international law.
European lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
The move is largely symbolic as the EU does not have the legal framework in place to support it. Meanwhile, the European Union has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the United States and others to declare Russia a state sponsor of terror, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, something Moscow denies.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has so far resisted adding Russia to the list, despite resolutions from both houses of Congress urging him to do so.
The State Department currently lists four countries — Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria — as state sponsors of terrorism, meaning they are subject to defense export bans and financial restrictions.
In the EU, four national parliaments have so far designated Russia a state sponsor of terrorism: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, according to the European Parliament’s research service.
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