26-6-2023 (WASHINGTON) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Sunday (Jun 25) that the recent crisis in Russia involving a mercenary group’s failed uprising against President Vladimir Putin revealed significant vulnerabilities in Putin’s leadership.
In an interview with CBS News talk show Face the Nation, Blinken described the rebellion by the private Wagner group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a direct challenge to Putin’s authority. He remarked that the event raised profound questions and exposed real cracks in the Russian leader’s hold on power.
These remarks mark the United States’ first public comments on the developments in Russia. Over the past 24 hours, the US has been engaged in intensive consultations with European allies regarding the revolt.
During his appearances on various Sunday talk shows, Blinken cautioned that it is too early to speculate on the crisis’s impact on the Kremlin or the situation in Ukraine. However, he acknowledged that the events were extraordinary, highlighting how a close ally of Putin, who had previously deployed private mercenaries to engage in brutal combat in Ukraine, suddenly turned against the Russian leader and threatened the core of power in the Kremlin.
Blinken also spoke on ABC News show This Week, noting the irony that just 16 months ago, Russian forces were on the brink of taking over Ukraine, and now they had to defend Moscow, the capital of Russia, against mercenaries associated with Putin himself. He highlighted Prigozhin’s statements during the incident, which raised questions about the underlying reasons for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, suggesting that Ukraine or NATO did not pose a threat to Russia.
In response to the revolt, Putin delivered a fiery speech on Saturday, accusing Prigozhin of treason and promising to punish those involved. However, he later accepted an amnesty deal that would allow the Wagner chief to avoid prosecution and depart for neighboring Belarus.
Blinken pointed out that the distraction caused by the revolt in Moscow could provide an additional advantage to Ukraine during its counteroffensive against Russian forces. However, he emphasized that the future implications of the Wagner crisis remain uncertain and cannot be predicted with certainty.
