The attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow could leave a mark on history. Despite initial suspicions about Ukraine, theIsis-k claimed responsibility for the armed attack, a hypothesis also confirmed by US intelligence. The toll is disturbing: over 130 dead and hundreds injured. But what could change in international dynamics? A weak, timid sign of rapprochement between USA and Russia it is visible to the naked eye.
There White House he condemned the terrorist attack on the Moscow concert hall and identified ISIS as a “common enemy”. The battle against Islamic terrorism comes first: “ISIS is a common enemy that must be defeated everywhere”, the words of White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. The diplomat also highlighted that the American presidency “strongly condemns the atrocious terrorist attack in Moscow”, which affected “innocent civilians”.
The first clues had been recorded before and immediately after the brutal attack. The US had already warned Moscow that ISIS was planning an attack. According to US officials reporting to the New York Times, US intelligence gathered information this month that Russia was a terrorist target of the Islamic State branch based in Afghanistan. Going into detail, counter-terrorism analyst Colin Clarke explained that IS has been critical of Vladimir Putin and Russian propaganda. The Islamic State accused the Kremlin of having Muslim blood on its hands, referring to “Moscow's interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria”.
The warning from the secret services to the Kremlin about the possible attack suggests that the collaboration between the two super powers in the fight against Islamic terrorism has not been interrupted. Without forgetting the immediate solidarity of Western countries for the attack and for the many innocent victims, there is also another factor to keep in mind and it calls into question the conflict in Ukrainecertainly the hottest dossier in relations between Moscow and the Atlantic axis.
Russia yesterday carried out its largest attack in recent months against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, but the United States has not called on Kiev to respond with the same vehemence. Indeed: the White House asked Zelensky's country to do not hit oil refineries on Russian territory because this could cause an increase in the price of crude oil. This is the reconstruction of the Financial Times: “The United States has urged Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, warning that drone attacks risk raising global oil prices and provoking retaliation, according to some sources. Washington's repeated warnings were delivered to senior officials of Ukraine's state security service, the SBU, and its Military Intelligence Directorate, known as GUR.” Despite Western sanctions, Russia remains a major exporter and oil prices have already risen 15 percent this year to $85 a barrel.
Weak signals, probably too little to think of a turning point. But after months of tensions, threats and vitriolic back and forth, the United States and Russia have never been closer. If there is an ideal window to cultivate dialogue and achieve peace, it is today: with seriousness and concreteness, without the intention of humiliating the other. Further updates coming soon.
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