The State Department covertly warned US Congress about problems that may arise in the event Washington officially recognizes Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, Politico reports.
"State fears putting Russia on the state sponsor of terrorism list would imperil the fragile deal to let grain ships leave Ukrainian ports. It took months to broker that arrangement, and while vessels are slowly starting to depart the Black Sea — slightly calming a rampant global food crisis — there's no guarantee Russia will live up to its commitments if it's targeted so directly by the United States," Politico said.
Alexander Darchiev, the Director of the North America Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, previously stated that Western countries, led by the United States, have already trampled on international law and absolute taboos in diplomatic practice.
According to him, if Washington continues to pursue such a destructive policy and declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, the Americans may cross the point of no return, and the diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States could be terminated.
Maria Zakharova, an official representative for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said earlier that Russia could indeed terminate relations with the United States should US Congress declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
On August 11, the Latvian Parliament officially recognized Russia as a "state sponsoring terrorism" and its actions in Ukraine as "terrorism." According to Latvian MPs, Russia has been providing indirect and direct support to "terrorist regimes” such as the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria for years.