US senators move to designate Russia state terrorism sponsor after North Korea pact

US congressional leaders say defence agreement between Russia and North Korea is 'deeply scary'

graham Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speak during a news conference on declaring Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP)Show less

Leading senators from both political parties on Thursday introduced a bill aimed at adding Russia to the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, after a security deal was signed this week in which Moscow committed to supporting North Korea's defence ambitions.

“Two of the most autocratic leaders in the world standing together, terrorist sponsors," Democratic senator Dick Blumenthal told reporters, holding up a picture of the Russia-North Korea summit at which the deal was signed.

"Russia deserves to be, in fact it's deeply earned the designation of state sponsor of terrorism.

“In my view this message to the world is as important in a moral sense as any practical consequence."

Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a co-sponsor on the bill, said that President Joe Biden's administration should move quickly.

“If there was any doubt about who Putin is in terms of a terrorist state, he just entered into a definitive agreement with North Korea … pledging to help their nuclear programme,” Mr Graham said.

North Korea is already on the state terrorist list, along with Cuba, Iran and Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that included a pledge to “provide mutual assistance in case of aggression".

Mr Blumenthal said that is “deeply scary”, and believes the pact is a Russian endorsement of North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

“It signals co-operation, not only against Ukraine, but against the United States … The idea is that Russia would be lending its nuclear expertise to North Korea."

Bunting lines a main street of Pyongyang's central district for the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea. AP

Washington, a stalwart backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's 2022 invasion, has increased pressure on Moscow, including a harsh sanctions regime, but the rare state sponsor of terrorism designation would be a distinct escalation.

The designation by Washington has wide-ranging ramifications, with many businesses and banks unwilling to incur the risk of legal action by US prosecutors.

Mr Blumenthal has said the Biden administration is “sympathetic” to the goals of the bill but he has differences on this subject with the President.

Mr Biden said in 2022 that it would be counter-productive to designate Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism”, rejecting previous calls from Ukraine and Congress.

The White House has said that the designation would hamper aid delivery to parts of war-ravaged Ukraine, including a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey to ship grain from Ukraine's blockaded ports.

“If you worry about being too provocative regarding Russia, stop worrying,” Mr Graham said on Thursday.

“We need to up our game when it comes to Russia."

The European Parliament declared Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism” in 2022, condemning “deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies against civilians in Ukraine".

In pictures: Ukraine-Russia conflict

Ukrainian rescuers at the site of a rocket attack on a residential building in Dnipro, south-eastern Ukraine. EPA

Rescues carry a person wounded by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro. Reuters

Rescuers tackle a blaze at a building struck by Russian bombs, in Dnipro. AP

An apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro. Reuters

Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions near the town of Kupyansk, Kharkiv Region. AFP

A building destroyed by a Russian air strike in the front-line town of Orikhiv. AP

A dog stands on the rubble as rescuers work at the site of a destroyed building during a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv. Reuters

A Ukrainian serviceman works on an FPV drone in a workshop in the Donetsk region. Reuters

Local resident Kateryna, 77-years-old, walks with a litter of puppies, which she feeds in the yard of her bomb-damaged apartment block in the town of Kurakhove. AFP

Ukrainian rescuers at the scene of a missile strike near a residential building, in Zaporizhzhia. EPA

A woman looks at the damage in her flat after debris from a missile strike hit nearby, in Kyiv. EPA

Ukrainian firefighters at the scene of a missile strike in Kyiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen take part in military training at an undisclosed location near the frontline. EPA

Ukrainian troops run near the site of a rocket attack on an industrial building, in Kharkiv. EPA

A pilot operates a drone at a training ground in the Kyiv region. AFP

Ukrainian and Russian soldiers are depicted in a tug-of-war on a memorial in Izium, Kharkiv region. AP

A man looks at his home in a damaged apartment building in Izium, Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian civilian women are trained to use weapons, in Kyiv. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier mans a position as new recruits receive training at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region. EPA

A man pays tribute at a makeshift memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers, at the Independence Square in Kyiv. AFP

An emergency worker at the scene of a Russian attack in Odesa. AP

Ukrainian recruits are trained by members of the Danish military, in the east of England. AP

Danylo, commander of an engineering and sapper company of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, inspects pyramidal anti-tank obstacles known as 'dragon's teeth' before installing them into a new fortification line in Zaporizhzhia region. Reuters