KYIV (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators seeking to pass a law designating Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism" visited Ukraine’s capital on Thursday to discuss the bill with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Republican Lindsey Graham told Reuters in a joint interview with Democrat Richard Blumenthal that the bill would put Russia in "the category of Iran, Syria and North Korea." Graham said he believed it could get near-unanimous support in the U.S. Senate.

Zelenskiy thanked the senators for their work and emphasized the importance of bipartisan U.S. support.

Blumenthal cited photos he saw of suspected atrocities by Russian forces in the Kyiv satellite town of Bucha in March as evidence that Russia deserved the designation. Ukrainian and international prosecutors are investigating who is responsible.

"If that isn't terrorism, I don't know what is," he said.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 and Moscow denies they have targeted civilians.

INSURGENCY SUPPORT

Both senators said they believed Ukraine could effectively use an insurgency in Russian-occupied areas, along with U.S.-supplied weapons systems, to launch a counter-offensive and take back territory occupied by Russia.

"Long-range artillery is very, very important. But so is the hand-to-hand insurgency that we are hoping to see in eastern Ukraine, in the territory that's already been occupied by the Russians," Blumenthal said.