On Monday, the White House issued a statement revealing that US diplomats had engaged in discussions with their Russian counterparts regarding the security concerns arising from the revolt led by the mercenary group Wagner.
The mutiny orchestrated by Wagner’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, prompted an unusual contact between Russia and the United States. The uprising had briefly seized control of a major city and posed a threat to Moscow. This unrest raised fears in Washington about the potential chaos that a nuclear-armed Russia could descend into.
When questioned about concerns over turmoil in nuclear-armed Russia, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated, “Instability in Russia is something that, you know, we take seriously and we certainly had lots of questions over the course of the weekend.” He added that the US officials had engaged in real-time conversations with Russian officials through diplomatic channels to express their concerns.
Kirby also emphasized that US officials were closely monitoring Moscow’s nuclear posture during the Russian troop invasion of pro-Western Ukraine, but there was currently no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin was moving towards using nuclear weapons or any action that would require a change in the US deterrent posture.
President Joe Biden stated on Monday that Putin had “no excuse” to blame the Wagner group’s failed march on Washington and reiterated that the West had no involvement in it. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly stated that Russian intelligence services were investigating if Western spy agencies had played a role in the Wagner mutiny.
During a press conference, President Biden mentioned that he had spoken to key allies about the unfolding situation in Russia when the revolt began. He convened a Zoom call with them and they agreed that they needed to ensure Putin couldn’t blame the West or NATO for the situation.
Biden characterized the turmoil as part of the internal struggle within the Russian system. Wagner’s chief had declared an armed rebellion, and Putin had vowed to suppress the revolt, claiming that the group had seized control of the city of Rostov-on-Don.
The White House had previously announced that Biden had a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss the situation in Russia and express their unwavering support for Ukraine.
Biden stated that it was too early to draw definitive conclusions about the situation’s trajectory and its implications for Russia and Ukraine. However, he emphasized that Western allies were in contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and would continue to support Ukraine’s defense, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Furthermore, President Biden planned to call key allies again on Monday, although the specific participants in the meeting were not mentioned.
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