European Parliament to vote on resolution to declare Russia 'state sponsor of terrorism'

European Union MEPs will vote on a resolution to declare Russia "a state sponsor of terrorism," the bloc said in its release on Nov 19. The Russian military has intensified its strikes on civilian targets, including energy infrastructure, hospitals, medical facilities, schools, and shelters, violating international law and international humanitarian law in the process, said the member states. They condemned the brutality against civilians by the Russian forces in the war against Ukraine. 

"By declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, MEPs want to prepare the ground for Putin and his government to be held accountable for these crimes before an international tribunal," the EU stated in the release.

A debate took place during the October plenary session and the vote will be held Wednesday, November 23. The European Union lawmakers have unanimously backed the draft resolution that labelled Russia as a "terrorist regime". The vote was held in an assembly of representatives, named the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), where lawmakers from 46 national parliaments across  Europe participated. Out of the 100 lawmakers in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 99 voted in favour of the resolution. The only lawmaker who did not vote for the resolution was a Turkish MP from the Republican People’s Party. 

“The continued use of long-range artillery by the Russian military to hit towns and cities across Ukraine has caused massive destruction and death,” the resolution said. “With these indiscriminate attacks, Russia aims to advance its terrorist policy to suppress the will of Ukrainians to resist and defend their country and provoke maximum harm to civilians," it continued. 

What is PACE?

The resolution says that Russia needs to “completely and unconditionally withdraw its occupying forces". The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is a parliamentary body of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe is an international organisation that is separate from the European Union. PACE constitutes lawmakers drawn from national parliaments of member nations. Members of the Council of Europe also include countries like the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Ukraine, which are not members of the European Union.