European Parliament declares Russia state sponsor of terrorism

The European Parliament has decided to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism by a majority of votes, Reuters reports.

“Moscow’s military strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violate international law,” said the European Parliament during a plenary session in Strasbourg.

The resolution calls for the EU and its Member States to “take action to initiate a comprehensive international isolation of the Russian Federation, including with regard to Russia’s membership of international organisations and bodies such as the United Nations Security Council, and to refrain from holding any formal events on the territory of the Russian Federation”.

Another point the resolution suggests is the confiscation of Russian assets frozen by the EU and for their use to address the various consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, including the reconstruction of Ukraine and compensation for the victims of Russia’s aggression.

The resolution also urges the Council of Europe to take into account the Russian Federation’s escalating acts of terror against the population of Ukraine and therefore to swiftly complete its work on a ninth sanctions package.

The decisions of the European Parliament are not mandatory and are but recommendations for the EU member states.

The parliaments of Czechia, Latvia, Estonia and Poland adopted similar resolutions earlier, joined by PACE and NATO PA who declared Russia a country with a terrorist regime.