Published: Less than 30 min ago
The EU Parliament labels Russia a “state sponsor of terrorism”.
The statement is admittedly just words – but could pave the way for similar stamps in the future.
The non-binding resolution was adopted on Wednesday with a clear majority, 494 votes to 58 and 44 abstentions.
Among other things, Russia is declared a state that applies terrorist methods.
The idea behind the resolution comes from Swedish member Charlie Weimers (SD), who hopes that the statement will be the start of something new.
– This can be seen as a first step towards creating a legal framework in Europe that enables this classification – which in turn can create a situation where it is not only individuals who commit war crimes on behalf of the Russian Federation, but also the Russian Federation itself be held accountable, says Weimers at a Swedish press meeting in the EU Parliament.
The Swedish members gave the thumbs up.
– What Russia is now doing to Ukraine is reprehensible. Normally, we use this term – sponsoring terrorism – for groups rather than states. But we still vote for because we think it is important to send the signal to the outside world that we must mark against the terror that Russia is exposing Ukraine to, says Jakop Dalunde (MP).
He sees no problem with the SD being behind the resolution.
– No I do not think so. However, I would have preferred that the generally accepted concepts had been used, says Dalunde in Strasbourg.