Graham Urges Terror Sponsor Label for Russia Over Stolen Ukrainian Children

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned that the United States could formally designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism unless Moscow returns thousands of Ukrainian children it has forcibly taken since the start of the war.

The Gaze reports this, referring to Graham’s post on social media platform X.

Graham said Russia had abducted more than 19,000 Ukrainian children during its invasion, calling the act “despicable and barbaric.” 

He pledged to introduce legislation that would compel Washington to add Russia to its list of state sponsors of terrorism if the children are not returned.

Such a move would dramatically escalate pressure on Moscow, cutting off cooperation with foreign governments and businesses and imposing sweeping secondary sanctions. 

“I intend to push legislation to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law if they do not return the children. This designation will make doing business with Putin’s Russia radioactive for other countries and businesses,” Graham wrote.

Ukraine has urged Washington since 2022 to take this step, though the Biden administration previously rejected the idea, arguing it would restrict U.S. diplomatic flexibility.

In parallel, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe designated Russia as a state sponsor of the Wagner terrorist group in 2023.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Melania Trump sent a “peace letter” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, delivered ahead of the Alaska summit, in which she urged joining efforts to safeguard children.