Zelensky urges US to name Russia a state terror sponsor as Jake Sullivan warns Putin against nukes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday urged US President Joe Biden to “help the whole world by designating Russia as a state sponsor of terror — a move the White House previously refused to make.”

Senior officials in the Biden administration have been in close contact with Kremlin counterparts in recent days, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday after Russian autocratic leader Vladimir Putin suggested he could use nuclear weapons in his months-long attack on Ukraine.

It comes amid international condemnation of Moscow’s “sham” referendums in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia. Videos have emerged showing residents being forced at gunpoint to the polls to vote on whether or not to allow Russia to annex their home territories.

Zelensky told CBS News’ Face The Nation that Moscow would make it “impossible” to proceed with ending the invasion through diplomatic talks with Kiev.

“I think it’s a very dangerous signal from President Putin telling us that Putin is not going to end this war,” Zelensky said.

He also urged the United States to move beyond imposing even more sanctions against Russia by demonstrating its “leadership” position by designating the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

“I understand there will be consequences. These implications will make diplomatic negotiations impossible, but they are terrorists and we cannot let them do that out of fear. They will not surrender. We have to keep pushing,” Zelensky said.

He added, “The United States can help the whole world.”

Zelensky cited recent atrocities discovered in Kharkov, a region recently liberated from Russian control by the Ukrainian military.

“We have started excavations, we have lifted 500 bodies. The entire families were tortured and killed. Their families were buried together. Adults, men and women, and small children with bullets in their heads. Some of their body parts were missing,” he said.

Added by Russia: ‘They are terrorists, we have to recognize them.’

But the White House said earlier this month that such a move could disrupt the fragile humanitarian agreements signed with Russia in the areas of Ukraine under its control.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre warned it could undermine international cooperation for holding Putin accountable and “also undermine our ability to support Ukraine at the negotiating table.”

However, the Biden administration warned Putin on Sunday, when the president’s national security adviser told Face The Nation that the US would “respond decisively” if Putin lives up to his nuclear threat.

On Sunday, he was asked on NBC’s Meet the Press whether the Moscow-US hotline, popularly known as the “red phone,” was up and running again because of Putin’s warnings.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told multiple news networks that Washington and Moscow have had high-level talks about it.

The Cold War line of communication was first used by the US to inform Russia about the assassination of JFK. The last known use was in 2016 when Barack Obama warned Moscow against meddling in the US presidential election.

“The answer to your question is yes, we have the capacity to speak directly at higher levels and be clear about our messages to them, and to receive their messages,” Sullivan told NBC.

Zelensky also urged Biden to show more “leadership” by calling Russia a state sponsor of terror — despite the White House voicing the idea earlier this month

“That has happened many times in recent months, it has even happened in the last few days.”

Sullivan elaborated on those warnings during his CBS interview.

“We have communicated directly, privately, at a very high level, to the Kremlin that any use of nuclear weapons will have catastrophic consequences for Russia, and that the United States and our allies will respond decisively,” he said.

The official added: “And we’ve been clear and specific about what that means.”

In a speech last week, Putin called on more Russians to mobilize in his rake invasion, now in its seventh month, while also making a comment widely regarded as a nuclear threat.

He pledged “certainly to use all means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people,” adding: “It is not a bluff.”

Zelensky warned Sunday that he believed Putin was completely serious.

“I don’t think he’s bluffing. I think the world will deter it and contain this threat,” Zelensky said. “We have to keep putting pressure on him and not allow him to continue.”