US on Wagner: The United States on Tuesday (local time) hinted at taking possible actions against the Wagner group, the mercenary forces led by Yevgeny Prigozhin that was responsible for the recent short-lived insurrection against the Russian leadership, for alleged activities in Ukraine and Africa. Speaking at the press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "We continue to look closely at the actions they take that are against the interests of the countries where they operate, and we will take – continue to take actions to hold them accountable. And, in fact, we will have further announcements to make on holding Wagner accountable in the very near future."
On Prigozhin, Miller asserted that the US would like to see him stand trail for crimes he has been alleged to have committed in Ukraine and Africa. "Everywhere that Wagner goes, death and destruction follow in their wake. He has been a destabilizing agent," he said.
He further said that the decision of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to provide refuge to Prigozhin was another example of him choosing the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia over that of his own people.
"And just as you will see actions from us in the very near future to hold Wagner accountable, you will see continued actions from us in the very near future to continue to supply the Ukrainian military with the equipment, the military equipment that it needs, to press their case on the battlefield," Miller added.
This comes days after Prigozhin launched an armed rebellion against the Putin leadership and multiple videos showed Wagner troops capturing the city of Rostov-on-Don and marching into Voronezh. Subsequently, the head of the private paramilitary group announced to halt his operation against Putin after striking an apparent deal brokered by Lukashenko.
No misunderstanding about our ability to defend against Russian threat: NATO
Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday warned that the alliance has increased its strength and readiness to defend its allies from any threat posed by the Russian military. "So, no misunderstanding and no room for misunderstanding in Moscow or Minsk about our ability to defend our allies against any potential threat," said NATO President Jens Stoltenberg.
He also emphasised that the Russian military should not be underestimated following Prigozhin's armed mutiny against the Putin administration.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also warned of increased danger if the Wagner group deploys its "serial killers" in Belarus, at a meeting of eight NATO leaders in The Hague, Netherlands.
The leaders agreed to continue bolstering their forces in NATO's eastern flank to prevent Putin from augment his war.
Stoltenberg also said that it was too early to draw any conclusions from what Prigozhin and his Wagner troops might do after they reach Belarus.
Western officials have been muted in their public comments on the mutiny, and President Joe Biden said Monday that the US and NATO were not involved. Speaking at the White House, Biden said he was cautious about speaking publicly because he wanted to give “Putin no excuse to blame this on the West and blame this on NATO.”
Putin on Monday had blasted organizers of a weekend revolt, the gravest threat yet to his power, as “traitors” who played into the hands of Ukraine’s government and its allies.
This came after an audio message from Prigozhin, who denied staging a coup against Putin. Prigozhin said he had been acting to prevent the destruction of Wagner, his private military company. “We started our march because of an injustice,” he said in an 11-minute statement.
(with PTI inputs)
