US Senators Press Ahead on Russia ‘Terrorism’ Bill | Farsnews Agency

US senators from both major parties introduced legislation seeking to designate Russia as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’, as well as imposing additional economic sanctions, noting that the bill came at the request of Ukrainian officials.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal announced the bipartisan ‘Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act’ bill on Wednesday, accusing Moscow of grave “atrocities”, “war crimes”, and even “genocide” in Ukraine, RT reported.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has crossed every line of civilized norms during the war in Ukraine and years before,” Graham said, going as far as to personally label the Russian leader a “terrorist".

The Republican also stated that “Ukrainians have been asking for this designation, and we are listening”, claiming the bill would be a “game changer in how we deal with terrorists worldwide".

If signed into law, the measure would dramatically cut “defense and technology exports” to Russia, significantly reduce foreign aid to the country, and “impose additional financial restrictions” atop an existing pile of sanctions targeting the Russian economy. Moreover, the bill also seeks to “eliminate Russia’s sovereign immunity in the eyes of US courts”, meaning the “the families of victims” of alleged “state-sponsored” terrorism could sue Russian officials in criminal and civil suits.