President Zelensky wants Russia to be added to the list of four countries designated as state sponsors of terrorismPresident Zelensky has asked President Biden to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, a powerful US sanction reserved for regimes regarded as long-term pariahs. Zelensky made the request in a phone conversation with Biden, who is keeping the move under consideration, administration sources say. SponsoredRussia’s history under President Putin of assassinating dissidents around the world and provoking conflict at home would fulfil the criteria for the designation, observers believe. Being added to a list of four countries — Iran, North Korea, Syria and Cuba — normally brings strict economic and trade sanctions but Russia has already been hit with similar force already. Some legal experts say that if Russia were designated as a sponsor of terrorism, any company, person or state that won

Source: The Times April 16, 2022 12:11 UTC