The US has proposed declaring Russia and Belarus "sponsors of terrorism."

A group of US senators has proposed recognizing Russia and Belarus as "sponsors of terrorism," Axios reports. Among the initiators is Lindsey Graham, the author of a bill to tighten anti-Russian sanctions.

The list of state sponsors of terrorism under US law currently includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

"It's difficult to get on this list. But I can tell you, Russia has earned the right to be on it," Graham said.

The bill would designate Russia and Belarus as sponsors of terrorism if they "fail to return more than 19,000 children who Ukraine claims were abducted during the conflict," the article says.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called Kyiv's claims that Moscow was forcibly deporting children "false assertions." President Vladimir Putin said Russia had legally evacuated children from the conflict zone to save their lives and HEALTH , and had no intention of separating them from their families if they resurfaced.

The publication notes that the drone incident in Poland, which senators consider "Russia's violation of the republic's airspace," has strengthened the push for new sanctions against Russia. Moscow considers such accusations baseless and the sanctions  illegal.

Senator Graham continues to work to secure White House support for his standalone bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, which has received the support of over 80 senators. He added that the senators plan to hold debate and a vote on the bill in Congress soon.

The bill provides for the introduction of new sanctions against Russia if it refuses to negotiate with Ukraine, as well as the imposition of a 500 percent duty on goods imported from countries that buy Russianoil .

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