The near rebellion launched by the leader of the Russian mercenary organization known as the Wagner Group, which has been doing a great deal of the fighting in Ukraine, has revealed that President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power is not as strong as believed.
Across several news programs on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as much.
“I think you have seen cracks emerge that weren’t there before,” Blinken said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
"I think you've seen cracks emerge that weren't there before."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with CNN's Dana Bash on the abandoned mutiny of the Wagner Group in Russia and what this could mean for Russian President Vladimir Putin. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/lQnU5UYuFs
— CNN (@CNN) June 25, 2023
Blinken highlighted that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, asserted that Russia’s stated justifications for the invasion of Ukraine were founded on false pretenses
“Prigozhin himself in this entire incident has raised profound questions about the very premises for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the first place, saying that Ukraine or NATO did not pose a threat to Russia, which is part of Putin’s narrative,” Blinken said during an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” “And it was a direct challenge to Putin’s authority. So this raises profound questions.”
Despite Putin’s accusing the leader of “treason” and his warning of consequences, a de-escalation agreement was announced on Saturday. Prigozhin instructed his soldiers to halt their march on Moscow, while the Kremlin stated that Russia would withdraw its criminal case against Prigozhin.
During an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” Blinken told the host, Chuck Todd, that “it is too soon to tell” what happens next. “But certainly, we have all sorts of new questions that Putin is going to have to address in the weeks and months ahead,” he noted further.
When asked if the U.S. was ready to respond if Putin’s government fell and whether the country’s nuclear stockpile could be secured, Blinken said the White House is ready.
“We always prepare for every contingency in terms of what happens in Russia. It’s an internal matter for the Russians to figure out,” Blinken said on CBS.
“Of course, when we’re dealing with a major power, and especially a major power that has nuclear weapons, that’s something that’s of concern, something we’re very focused on,” he added. “We haven’t seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture. There hasn’t been any change in ours, but it’s something we’re going to watch very, very carefully.”
