The United States government initially announced its unwillingness to officially name Russia as a country sponsoring terrorism. The country adheres to the same line now, developing documents that will call and condemn Russia as an aggressor country. Congressional leadership plans to finalize the document by Zelenskyy's arrival in Washington. At the same time, an aide to the House of Representatives of the Republican party called this decision a "half-baked" response to the request of the president of Ukraine to recognize Russia as a country sponsoring terrorism.
Why is it essential for Ukraine. The stigma of being a state sponsor of terrorism on the international platform will isolate the Kremlin and spread Ukraine's losses among the countries that support Putin. In turn, the United States insists that such marking will become an obstacle in US-Russia relations and neutralize all the efforts that the United States has made to end the war. Antony Blinken stressed that the recognition of Russia as a sponsor of terrorism has "some unintended consequences."
In an interview with the American media The Hill, several Republican congressional aides criticized the bill on the alternative status of an "aggressor country" for Russia since such a term "doesn't even exist under US domestic or international law — there is no legal basis for it." Thus, Congress relieves Russia of responsibility for war crimes against Ukraine.
The document's text gives the president of the United States the authority to call any state/person an aggressor state/person if it is involved in Russia's crimes against Ukraine. Belarus has already fallen under this definition, but all the same representatives of Congress insist that this amendment makes no sense: the United States has long since introduced all currently possible sanctions against Russia, Belarus, Iran and other collaborators.
Today, Ukrainian officials have documented more than 50.000 Russian crimes in Ukraine. Russia is unleashing war and genocide against Ukraine, and the document being prepared will not stop Russia's actions and will not oblige to bear responsibility. Moreover, according to some Republicans, the text on recognizing any state as an aggressor country is rhetorically weaker than the resolution on recognizing Russia's actions as genocide of Ukrainians. The groups expressed their concerns that recognizing Russia as an aggressor rather than a terrorist would lead to "easing sanctions and returning frozen assets to war criminals as part of premature negotiations with Russia."
"While the US government, Congress, and president Biden have done much to support Ukraine, the "aggressor state" proposal is counterproductive and should not be adopted," the Republicans said.
Ukraine has already reacted to the decision of Congress. According to officials, the recognition of Russia as an aggressor country may be acceptable if, in addition to a new weak label, tools are provided to bring the "aggressor" to justice.
