Macron says it would be "cynical and counterproductive" for Russia to blame Ukraine for Moscow terror attack

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that it would be "cynical and counterproductive for Russia and her citizens" to try and blame Ukraine for the Crocus City terror attack in Moscow, UNN reports citing CNN.

Details

"We must be careful of any instrumentalization" of the attack, Macron said in remarks to journalists upon his arrival in the French territory of French Guiana.

Macron expressed his "solidarity" with the Russian people after the "Islamist terrorist attack" in the Moscow region, adding that France had offered to help Moscow with intelligence on the attack.

He noted that the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, and that France and its main partners believe that it was the Islamic State organization that planned and carried out the attack. However, he did not specify which ISIS organization, in France's opinion, committed the attack.

Macron said that the same organization has carried out several attacks on French territory in recent months, which contributed to the French government's decision to raise the terrorist threat level in the country on Sunday.

Addendum

After the attack, Putin said that the "attackers" were allegedly heading for the Ukrainian border before being detained. His comments came after ISIS had already claimed responsibility. The Presidential Administration saidthat Ukraine had nothing to do with what happened in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. The US stated that there are no signs of Ukraine's involvement.

The terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, killed at least 137 victims, making it the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades.