US State Department: Designating Russia as terror sponsor may have downsides

There are more effective ways to hold Russia accountable for its actions than designating it as a state sponsor of terrorism, which could have a number of negative consequences, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a briefing.

Miller stated that the United States continues to "pursue those in terms of sanctioning Russian officials, sanctioning Russian companies, imposing export controls that weaken Russia’s military machine, and we will continue to take those steps."

He added that the United States is concerned about the increasing cooperation between Russia and North Korea, particularly Russia's actions that violate numerous UN Security Council resolutions. The US will continue to make this clear and work with allies in the region to respond.

Read also: Biden's words about Ukraine joining NATO provoked Putin into war, says Trump