"Symbolic sacrifice"

Official Washington strongly condemnedthe murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, expressing solidarity and offering Russia and Turkey assistance in the investigation of the crime. American press and experts indicate a possible connection between the murder of the ambassador and the situation in Syria.

The White House and the State Department sharply condemned the attack on the Russian ambassador in Ankara. "This terrible attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable. We are united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to resist terrorism in all its forms," said the press secretary of the National Security Council Ned Price. The elected President Donald Trump expressed condolences to the relatives of the ambassador: "The murder of the ambassador is a violation of the civilized order and deserves unanimous condemnation."

The American press draws attention to the fact that the firing, 22-year-old policeman shouted: “Do not forget Aleppo, do not forget Syria,” waving a pistol over the bleeding of Russia's ambassador.

Many Turks are indignant at the behavior of Russia and its allies in Syria

The Washington Post newspaper calls the murder of the ambassador the most provoking “retaliatory attack against Russia from the time of Moscow’s entry into the war in Syria on the side of President Bashar al -Assad and the beginning of Aleppo's bombing, which caused international condemnation for calling the indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population.” American newspapers pay attention to the fact that by the morning of Tuesday, no group took responsibility for the murder of the ambassador, and remind that the attempt was preceded by several days of mass protests of Turkish residents, outraged by Aleppo's bombing.

Interlocutor Radio Liberty Specialist in the Middle East Professor of George Mason University Mark Katz also lifted an attempt on ambassador with a war in Syria:

The murder of the ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara

- This episode primarily causes a feeling of indignation. But it cannot be analyzed without taking into account the atmosphere that has developed in Turkey since the start of the Russian operation in Syria. Many Turks are indignant at the behavior of Russia and its allies in Syria. And if, after a large -scale campaign of stripping security forces, army and police from opponents of President Erdogan, a police officer organize a public attempt on the Russian ambassador, then it all remains only to guess how strong the anti -Russian sentiments are even among supporters of the Erdogan regime. The United States knows from their own experience that American officials, American citizens often become objects of attacks in revenge for American intervention in various conflicts. I will not be surprised that something similar happened as a result of the Russian invasion of Syria. And I assume that this is not the last similar episode.

Moscow never admits that its behavior in Syria can be counterproductive

- The official Washington decisively condemned the murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, offered assistance in investigating the crime. Can this sad episode rally the United States and Russia? In the end, the elected President Donald Trump loves to repeat how wonderful it would be if the United States and Russia fought together with terrorist organizations.

- It all depends on how this case will be considered in both capitals. Of course, we can say that we are victims of terrorism, let's organize a joint rebuff. I suppose that Donald Trump will consider the situation in this light. Say, America, Russia and Türkiye must jointly answer a common threat. But I doubt that this approach will work with Moscow, which will never admit that its behavior in Syria can be counterproductive. Moreover, the goals of the United States and Russia in Syria are diverge. While the elected President Trump talks about the need to combat the Islamic State group ( prohibited in Russia. - RS), Moscow does not pay excessive attention to the fight against IS militants. She is much more interested in the destruction of direct opponents of Assad regime and in the bombing of Aleppo. While Russia carried out air attacks on Aleppo, the Islamists returned to their control Palmyra, which was a rare example of Russia's successful actions against IG.

Donald Trump, the governments of Turkey and Russia, will name this crime by another manifestation of radical terrorism, without going into the causes of the

The situation in Syria is increasingly reminding me of the problems that the United States has encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan. Light victories achieved at the beginning of the operation turned into great difficulties as the conflict was drawn. In other words, the Syrian army and its Iranian allies can prevail in the battles with the air support of Russia, but they are not able to prevail in the war. This is exactly what the United States encounters. But Russia does not even help that, unlike the United States, it does not pay attention to sacrifices among the civilians.

Residents of Aleppo

American military expert Richard Wightz from the Gudzon Institute in Washington believes that the murder of the Russian ambassador in Ankara will not change the attitude of the main actors to conflict in Syria:

- I think that Donald Trump, the governments of Turkey and Russia will call this crime with another manifestation of radical terrorism, without going into the causes of what happened, and will declare the need for a more decisive fight against terrorism. It can be assumed that this episode will, from the point of view of Donald Trump, proof of the correctness of his position regarding the need to cooperate with Russia in the fight against radical terrorism, but I assume that the steps in this direction would be taken by the new American administration in the coming months in any case. So the murder of the Russian ambassador is unlikely to affect the situation around Syria.

Richard Witz

Richard Wightz suggests that the fault for this attack will eventually be entrusted to a loner, outraged by what is happening in Aleppo:

- I suspect that this is the result of a person’s actions, whose radical views were fed with indignation about what was happening in Aleppo. But instead of joining the protests held in Ankara and Istanbul this weekend, this man decided to go to a loud demonstrative action and elected his symbolic victim of the Russian ambassador. I see what happened in this light, ”says American expert Richard Wightz.