US rules out designating Russia as a “sponsor of terrorism”

On this Tuesday, September 6, the US government ruled out designating Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism” for the invasion of Ukraine in February of this year.

This decision was taken by the government, because according to it this position may be “Unintended consequences” for both Ukrainians and the rest of the world.

“It is not the most effective or the most powerful way to hold Russia accountable for its actions.” White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre told the media after President Joe Biden publicly announced that Moscow would be placed on the State Department’s “blacklist.”

Similarly, Jean-Pierre explained that designating Russia as a “sponsor of terrorism” could significantly affect the reporting of aid on Ukrainian soil or the agreement between Kyiv and Moscow to facilitate the export of grain.

It is worth mentioning that the Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said in the previous days that if the United States declared that his country was a “sponsor of terrorism.” Moscow will not remain silent and will respond with “stronger retaliatory measures.”

“I would like to note that declaring ourselves a ‘sponsor of terrorism’ would be an unprecedented decision in terms of the degree of cynicism, which would lead to the harshest reprisals on our part,” Antonov said.

In this arrangement of thoughts, the Kremlin, through its chief spokesman Dmitriy Peskov, cautiously celebrated the White House. “It is good that President Joe Biden responded in this way,” Peskov said in a television interview compiled by TASS.

Finally, the US government currently considers Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria to be state sponsors of terrorism.

Biden confirms that he will see Xi Jinping if the Chinese leader goes to the G20 meeting

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he was “sure” he would meet with Xi Jinping in November if the Chinese leader decided to attend the G20 meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia.

“If he was there, I’m sure I’d see him,” Biden told reporters at the White House. Biden has not met with Xi since he became president in January 2021. Communication between the two great leaders was limited to a series of phone calls and video calls.

Tensions are rising between the world’s two largest economies due to China’s threats to US-backed Taiwan and the unresolved trade dispute. However, opportunities to host a summit have been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Xi’s curtailment of international travel.

In August, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told Bloomberg that both Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin would be at the G-20 summit, also opening up the possibility of the first Biden-Putin meeting since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The White House has yet to confirm details of Biden’s trip to the Indonesian island. During their last phone call, which took place in July, A US official said Biden and Xi had decided to “find a mutually acceptable time” to meet face to face.

Likewise, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Tuesday that the G20 countries have not yet offered Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold meetings on the sidelines of the summit to be held in Indonesia next November.

Finally, the interest of this G20 summit, scheduled for November 15-16, is mainly to put Putin face to face with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, Which emphasized that Kyiv’s participation will depend on the development of battles at the front.

*With information from Europa Press and AFP.