On Tuesday August 2, the Kremlin threatened to break off diplomatic relations with Washington if the U.S. declares Russia a sponsor of terrorism.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the proposed designation "naive" and a violation of international law.
“The logical result of such a step becomes a break in diplomatic relations,” she said. “Washington risks finally crossing the point of no return – with all the ensuing consequences. This should be well understood in Washington.”
Last week, the Senate passed a nonbinding resolution urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the U.S. to adopt the designation.
Blinken, however, has balked at the plan, saying that current sanctions are similar to what would be imposed with the designation.
“The consequences of Western sanctions for Russia are almost equal to what it would experience if the U.S. included it in the list of countries sponsoring of terrorism,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on July 27 while delivering remarks to the press a the Department of State.
“The costs [due to the sanctions] that we and other countries have [already] imposed on Russia are perfectly consistent with the consequences that would be observed if the list of state sponsors of terrorism. So the practical effects of what we do are the same, — he emphasized.
