The Washington Post reported Friday that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by telephone with US President Joe Biden and urged him to designate and sanction Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism."

According to the newspaper, Zelensky made a direct appeal to Biden to designate Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism" - a designation that allows imposing some of the most significant sanctions at the US disposal.

The United States did not sanction the Soviet Union under such designation despite Moscow’s support in the 1970s and 1980s for groups that could be considered "terrorist actors", the report said.

Additional sanctions on Russia

The report explained that designating Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism" would allow imposing additional sanctions, including imposing further restrictions on the ability to do business with other countries, freezing Russian assets, and prohibiting an array of dual-use exports.

Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria are the four countries currently designated by the US government as "state sponsors of terrorism," the report mentioned.

US leaves it to Kiev if easing Russia sanctions should be part of peace deals

It is noteworthy that Jose Fernandez, the US Under-Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, said it should be left to Kiev to decide whether lifting sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its military campaign in Ukraine should be part of any peace agreement.

"Ukraine has paid a high price and earned the right to decide its sovereignty," Fernandez told Financial Times, adding that Kiev should decide whether to include the easing of western sanctions as part of any peace deals.

US has "long playbook" of sanctions against Moscow

The diplomat went on to say that he does not expect the sanctions to be lifted until there is a significant shift in Ukraine's circumstances.

Fernandez stated that the US has a "long playbook" of sanctions against Moscow and sees no precondition for lifting those already in place.