Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, has said that the diplomatic corps in 2023 will focus on ensuring that US Congress labels Russia correctly.

Markarova has said in an interview with "Suspilne" that the label "a state sponsor of terrorism" is fixed legislatively in the USA. Currently, there are four countries designated under these authorities: Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Iran, and Syria.

According to her, Ukraine has been negotiating with its partners for a long time that Russia should be added to the list of state sponsors of terrorism so that "it is called correctly and restrictions are included that will allow to isolate the Russian Federation further." At the same time, Kyiv understands "that it (Russia) is not a sponsor of terrorism."

"This status was once established specifically for countries that have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. Russia itself is a terrorist. It is a country with a regular army, a government, and a so-called elected president. They are all war criminals. They are all engaged in aggression and terrorism. Therefore, one question is what we will call Russia and another question is what will stand behind this name," Markarova explained.

According to the Ambassador, one of the alternative options discussed between Ukraine and the US involves a new category for Russia - for example, an aggressor country, a terrorist country, or an aggressor country that commits terrorist acts against the civilian population - and the adoption of a law in Congress.

"This is a top priority for us. Firstly, we want to label it correctly and assess it legislatively and politically. Secondly and most importantly, what will be the essence of these restrictions? We believe that there should be maximum restrictions in terms of legislative assistance, sanctions, restrictions, and export controls, which will not allow Russia to continue waging this war. The work is still in progress. This is a key priority for 2023," she underlines.

Previously, the media had reported on the work in US Congress to introduce a bill that would condemn Russia as an aggressor state. However, it is not about designating the Russian Federation as a sponsor of terrorism. This would give the US president new sanctions powers against Russian officials.

Labeling Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism would lead to Moscow's international isolation and force the US to impose additional restrictions on countries interacting with the Kremlin. The Biden administration has previously rejected those demands, saying it would tie the US's hands in dealing with Russia and block any diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine.