The US State Department informed Congress of serious concerns about the negative consequences of Washington's possible inclusion of Russia in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. This was reported on Thursday by Politico, citing sources.

Recognizing Russia as a sponsor of terrorism could lead to sanctions and jeopardize agreements to move grain out of Ukrainian ports, officials said. Sources specify that it took months to develop this agreement. Now the ships are gradually starting to leave the Black Sea, but there is no guarantee that Russia will fulfill its obligations if the US recognizes it as a sponsor of terrorism.

Other sources contacted by the publication fear that the bill will not be put to a vote in the US House Foreign Affairs Committee without the support of the administration. It is possible that the initiative will attract attention when Congress returns to session in September, the text says.

In July, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi told US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that if he did not list Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, then Congress would. The Senate has not yet passed a resolution, and officials have not openly spoken out for or against the measure of the House of Representatives.

On August 11, the Saeima of Latvia declared Russia a sponsor of terrorism due to violence against civilians and attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine. In May, the Czech Senate (the upper house of parliament) recognized the crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine as genocide against the Ukrainian people. On May 10, the Seimas of Lithuania recognized Russia as a terrorist state: a resolution calling Russia "a state supporting and carrying out terrorism" was adopted unanimously by 128 votes. The document states that Russian troops committed massive war crimes on the territory of Ukraine, most of the dead were in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Borodianka and Gostomel. On April 21, the parliaments of Estonia and Latvia were the first in the world to recognize Russia's actions in Ukraine as war crimes and genocide.