Estonian MPs Declare Russia a 'Terrorist Regime'

By AFP

Oct. 18, 2022

Meeting of the Estonian Parliament. Erik Peinar / Riigikogu

Estonian lawmakers on Tuesday condemned Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory and declared Russia a "terrorist regime."

The statement was adopted by 88 votes in favor in the country's 101-seat legislature.

Ten MPs were absent and three abstained.

The parliament "declares Russia a terrorist regime and the Russian Federation a country that supports terrorism," the statement said.

"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's regime, with its threats of nuclear attack, has turned Russia into the biggest danger to peace both in Europe and in the whole world," it said.

The statement comes after repeated calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The parliament in Estonia's neighbor, Latvia, declared Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism" in August, accusing Moscow of "targeted genocide against the Ukrainian people."

But U.S. President Joe Biden's administration last month said it would not use the terminology, calling this "not the most effective or strongest path forward."

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