Administration officials previously left open the possibility of designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Currently, only four countries are on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, North Korea, Syria and Cuba.
The designation triggers some of the most aggressive sanctions the U.S. government could adopt on a country, with restrictions on financial transactions and defense exports and sales, as well as foreign aid. The Biden administration already has imposed severe financial and other sanctions on Russia, including blocking its access to roughly half of its foreign reserves. It's not clear how such a designation would impact Russia's economy.
According to some legal experts, if Biden blacklists Russia as a sponsor of terrorism, any company, individual, or state that wins a court judgment against Russia could demand access to any blocked or frozen assets of the Russian government or Russian oligarchs. The designation could lift diplomatic immunity on Russian officials, and allow families of alleged terrorist victims to file lawsuits in U.S. courts against Russian officials.
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