European lawmakers have voted in favor of a resolution designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
The EU Parliament argued that Russia’s military strikes on Ukrainian civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated international law.
The move is largely symbolic, as the European Union does not have a legal framework in place to back it up. At the same time, the bloc has already imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the European Parliament’s decision accusing Russian forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies. Moscow however reacted angrily to the European Parliament’s decision.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova proposed designating the European Parliament as a sponsor of absurdity.
According to the European Parliamentary Research Service, the parliaments of four countries In the EU; Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have so far designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far refused to list Russia despite resolutions in both chambers of Congress urging him to do so.
