Estonian parliament declares Russia a terrorist state
It becomes the third national legislature to do so, after Latvia and Lithuania.
The Estonian parliament declared Russia a terrorist state on Tuesday, making it the third national legislature to do so.
Eighty-eight out of 101 MPs in the Riigikogu voted in favor of the statement, which expressed support for the investigations launched by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court of crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine by Russia. Ten MPs were absent and three abstained from voting.
“Supporting the Ukrainian Parliament’s appeal to countries and international organizations, the Riigikogu declares the Russian regime a terrorist state and the Russian Federation a state that supports terrorism,” the statement reads. “The Riigikogu calls on the international community to adopt similar declarations.”
The Estonian parliament is only the third national one to condemn the Kremlin in such strong terms, following its two Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Latvia. The move comes a week after Ukraine condemned Russia as a terrorist state in an urgent meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
“Russia has proven once again that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways,” Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., told Estonian MPs in the opening remarks of a debate that was overshadowed by missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities on the same day.
While other European countries have been reluctant to follow the Baltics, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted on October 13 to adopt a resolution recognizing Russia as a terrorist state.
However, U.S. President Joe Biden said last week that he thinks Russia should not be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, even though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had requested him to do so. “It is not the most effective or strongest path forward, as we have said many times before, to hold Russia accountable,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Eighty-eight out of 101 MPs in the Riigikogu voted in favor of the statement, which expressed support for the investigations launched by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court of crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine by Russia. Ten MPs were absent and three abstained from voting.
“Supporting the Ukrainian Parliament’s appeal to countries and international organizations, the Riigikogu declares the Russian regime a terrorist state and the Russian Federation a state that supports terrorism,” the statement reads. “The Riigikogu calls on the international community to adopt similar declarations.”
The Estonian parliament is only the third national one to condemn the Kremlin in such strong terms, following its two Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Latvia. The move comes a week after Ukraine condemned Russia as a terrorist state in an urgent meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
“Russia has proven once again that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways,” Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., told Estonian MPs in the opening remarks of a debate that was overshadowed by missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities on the same day.
While other European countries have been reluctant to follow the Baltics, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted on October 13 to adopt a resolution recognizing Russia as a terrorist state.
However, U.S. President Joe Biden said last week that he thinks Russia should not be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, even though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had requested him to do so. “It is not the most effective or strongest path forward, as we have said many times before, to hold Russia accountable,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
