US Senate to review key bills that may declare Russia terrorist state
Photo: Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has approved a series of bills, one of which could pave the way for recognizing Russia as a terrorist state. The proposals also include seizing Russian assets and limiting China's support for Russia, according to Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Olha Stefanishyna.
The Ambassador thanked the bipartisan co-authors of the bills – all three measures were initiated by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties – and briefly outlined each of the approved bills.
Bill S.2805 on declaring Russia a terrorist state if kidnapped Ukrainian children are not returned
If passed, this bill could open the door to recognizing Russia as a terrorist state. The condition is that Russia must return 19,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children within a specified timeframe.
According to the document, within 60 days of the law taking effect, the US Secretary of State must submit a report to Congress on the process of returning Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
The US Secretary of State must submit a report to Congress certifying that Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion have been reunited with their families or guardians, and that the reintegration of these children into Ukrainian society is ongoing. If the Secretary cannot certify this, Russia will be immediately recognized as a terrorist state, the statement said.
Bill S.2918 on implementing the REPO Act
This bill would allow the confiscation of Russian regime assets frozen in the US and their transfer to support Ukraine.
Russian sovereign assets in the US total approximately $5 billion. According to the bill, the US President would transfer $250 million from these funds to Ukraine every 90 days.
The bill also provides for an active diplomatic campaign to convince US allies to start redirecting at least 5% (about $15 billion) of Russian assets to Ukraine, the statement added.
Bill S.2657 STOP China and Russia Act of 2025
This legislation aims to block China's support for the Russian regime. The US and its allies would work together to cut all channels through which Beijing provides assistance to Russia.
This includes closing financial channels for Chinese entities and imposing sanctions on individuals and companies in China involved in exporting weapons and dual-use technologies to Russia.
"The consideration of these bills in the Senate will follow the schedule set by Republican Leader John Thune," Stefanishyna added.
Background
Ukraine has called for Russia to be recognized as a terrorist state since 2022, particularly over the abduction of children. Such recognition would further isolate Russia, similar to other authoritarian states deemed terrorist states, such as North Korea and Cuba.
Despite multiple Congressional resolutions, the administration of the 46th US President, Joseph Biden, refused to act, citing concerns that it would hinder diplomacy.
Meanwhile, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has had an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court since 2023 for the abduction of Ukrainian children. According to some reports, Ukraine has only managed to recover around 1,000 of over 20,000 children kidnapped by Russian forces.
