Ukraine had no involvement in Friday’s attack on a Moscow concert hall that killed over 130 people, the White House said as it emphasised that Islamic State was to blame for the massacre.
“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
US vice-president Kamala Harris also stated that “ISIS-K is actually, by all accounts, responsible for what happened”.
The ‘K’ refers to Khorasan, an Afghan province associated with a branch of the terror group.
The comments came after Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, had suggested the gunmen had links with Kyiv.
The assailants were apprehended while heading towards the Russia-Ukraine border where, Putin claimed, a “window had been prepared for them to cross”.
Russia has stated that it would stand against “international terrorism”, but has so far not blamed Islamic State directly.
Ukraine strongly denies any involvement in the attack.
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