The US Congress is working to introduce a bill condemning Russia as an " The Hill writes about it.

Such a definition would give the US president new powers to sanction Russian officials, but a House aide to the president called it a "

Recognition of the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism would lead to the international isolation of Moscow and force the United States to introduce additional spending on countries interacting with the Kremlin.

US leader Joe Biden's administration has rejected such demands, saying it would tie US hands in dealing with Russia and block any diplomatic effort to end the war..

Republican congressional aides told The Hill that the bill is being negotiated between the administration and Congressional leadership.. They also criticized the administration for failing to impose serious costs on Moscow..

“Zelensky asked for Russia to be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism, and instead the Biden administration said it would not support it, but came up with an alternative definition that does not even exist in US domestic or international law – there is no legal basis for it.. This is a half-hearted PR stunt that will do nothing to punish Russia or help the Ukrainian people,” an aide to the congressman told The Hill..

The version of the draft, obtained exclusively by The Hill, says that the president, once the move is enacted, can designate Russia as an "

Belarus has also been hit by sweeping sanctions for supporting Russia's war, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit this week raising fears the country could also send troops to Ukraine..

The draft law allows the President to impose sanctions against any person who is "

But critics say these sanctions powers are redundant, as the Biden administration has already imposed sanctions on Putin, his family members and many regime officials..

American public organizations supporting Ukraine issued a general statement against the legislation recognizing the Russian Federation as an aggressor state. The statement was signed by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, the Joint Baltic American National Committee and the organization "

“The Biden administration’s recently proposed “aggressor state” status for Russia is a harmful concept that undermines ongoing congressional efforts in support of Ukraine.. Russia is waging a full scale, ruthless war and genocide against Ukraine and its people. This new proposed definition will not change anything in Russia's actions, will not lead to the seizure of Russian state assets or the actual holding of the Russian government,"

Organizations also fear that the designation of an aggressor state will ease sanctions and return frozen assets to war criminals as part of premature negotiations with Russia..

Republicans say that the text of the resolution recognizing the Russian Federation as an aggressor state is rhetorically weaker than attempts to condemn Russia for genocide in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials told The Hill that the aggressor state status does not meet their requirements for designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, but they support the move as a way to describe the Russian Federation as a terrorist state and could generally support a separate status if it grants.

In November, the EU passed a non-binding resolution that names Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, a largely symbolic move but Ukrainian officials say helps build an international consensus to isolate Putin..

At the same time, legislation condemning Russia for the crime of aggression is also in line with Ukraine's efforts to set up a special tribunal to hold Russian officials, and likely Putin, accountable for invading Ukraine..

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Should Ukraine seek international recognition of Russia as a terrorist state Or maybe better a state sponsor of terrorism? What is the difference between these terms and is it worth it for Ukraine to spend time and energy on this direction of the fight against the Russian Federation? Read the article by Gunduz Mammadov "