European Parliament declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism - Reuters

BRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament connected Wednesday designated Russia a authorities sponsor of terrorism, arguing that its subject strikes connected Ukrainian civilian targets specified arsenic vigor infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated planetary law.

European lawmakers voted successful favour of a solution calling Russia a authorities sponsor of terrorism.

The determination is mostly symbolic, arsenic the European Union does not person a ineligible model successful spot to backmost it up. At the aforesaid time, the bloc has already imposed unprecedented sanctions connected Russia implicit its penetration of Ukraine.

Moscow reacted angrily to the European Parliament decision.

"I suggest designating the European Parliament arsenic a sponsor of idiocy," Russian overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote connected Telegram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the European Parliament's decision.

"Russia indispensable beryllium isolated astatine each levels and held accountable successful bid to extremity its long-standing argumentation of coercion successful Ukraine and crossed the globe," helium wrote connected Twitter.

Zelenskiy has urged the United States and different countries to state Russia a authorities sponsor of terrorism, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has truthful acold refused to database Russia contempt resolutions successful some chambers of Congress urging him to bash so.

The U.S. State Department presently names 4 countries - Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria - arsenic authorities sponsors of terrorism, meaning they are taxable to a defence export prohibition and fiscal restrictions.

In the EU, the parliaments of 4 countries person truthful acold designated Russia arsenic a authorities sponsor of terrorism, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Mark Trevelyan, Max Hunder and Bart Meijer, editing by Marine Strauss, Bernadette Baum and Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.