Washington – President Biden said on Monday that the United States and its allies had made it clear to Moscow that they were not involved in the The brief uprising of the Wagner mercenary group in Russia over the weekend, calling it “part of a struggle within the Russian system”.
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led an armed rebellion targeting Russian military leaders, accusing them of botching the war in Ukraine, and also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin. Wagner’s fighters appeared to be taking over Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, which oversees fighting in Ukraine, and were advancing towards Moscow until ordered back to their camps when a truce negotiated by Belarus was announced between Putin and Prigozhin.
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Mr Biden said he spoke with US allies over the weekend to coordinate a response to the rebellion and asked his national security team to prepare for a “range of scenarios”.
“They agreed with me that we had to make sure that we didn’t give Putin any excuses – let me point out that we didn’t give Putin any excuses – to blame the West, to blame NATO,” he said. Mr Biden. “We made it clear that we weren’t involved. We had nothing to do with it. It was part of a struggle within the Russian system.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday that the message was conveyed to the Russians through various diplomatic channels.
“We have also made it clear to all of our allies and partners that the United States was not and will not be involved in these events, and that we consider them internal Russian affairs,” Kirby said during the update. White House press release. “We conveyed this same message to the Russians themselves through the appropriate diplomatic channels.”
Details of Putin’s deal with Prigozhin to end the rebellion were vague. As part of the truce, Prigozhin had agreed to move to Belarus to avoid prosecution. But Russian authorities said on Monday that the criminal charges had not yet been dropped.
In a statement Monday, Prigozhin, whose whereabouts are unknown, said the mutiny was not aimed at overthrowing the Russian government, but aimed at preventing the Wagner Group’s loss of autonomy to the military. Russian.
The mutiny was one of fiercest challenges to Putin’s leadership. Mr Biden said the United States was still assessing the fallout and the implications for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s still too early to draw a definitive conclusion on where this is going,” Biden said. “The end result of all of this remains to be seen.”
Mr Biden said the United States and its allies will continue to support Ukraine “no matter what happens in Russia”.
President spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Sunday to reaffirm American support for the country and events in Russia.
“What we’re going to stay focused on is making sure Ukraine can continue to be successful on the battlefield and not speculating on what that might or might not do on the political spectrum inside Russia,” Kirby said, later adding that the United States is “not taking sides in this internal affair” between Putin and Prigozhin.
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