The President of the United States, Joe Biden, with his grandson, Beau Biden, as he disembarked from Marine One at Fort McNair in Washington this Sunday. Andrew Harnik (AP)
The United States believes that the insurgency of the Wagner mercenary group not only exposes the cracks in the Russian regime, but also diverts its attention and could facilitate Ukraine’s counteroffensive even after the crisis has abated. United States President Joe Biden spoke with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky this Sunday and topics to be discussed included both recent events in Russia and the counteroffensive, the White House said in a statement.
Zelenski said it was “a positive and inspiring conversation.” “We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored.” has tweeted. The President of Ukraine especially thanked the US and its allies for the Patriot missiles and fighter jets. In addition, he added that both leaders “discussed further expanding defense cooperation, with a focus on long-range weapons.”
In addition to the talk between Biden and Zelenski, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also spoke to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov this Sunday about the development of regional security and dynamics on the ground in Ukraine, the Pentagon said.
Secretary Austin reaffirmed “America’s unwavering support for Ukraine” and discussed security assistance priorities to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs. The nature of military priorities and needs change in part with the transition to the counter-offensive phase and may be affected by current events. Troops of the Wagner mercenary group have left the border and are headed for Belarus after being diverted from heading to Moscow thanks to a pact granting some immunity to the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The United States cautiously assumes that recent events will facilitate Ukraine’s counteroffensive. In a series of interviews this Sunday with major news outlets (excluding Fox News), the US Secretary of State not only argued that the uprising demonstrated cracks in the Russian regime and Putin’s weakness, but also presented an opportunity to counterattack.
“To the extent that it’s a real distraction for Putin and the Russian authorities, who need to watch their backs even as they try to get a handle on the counteroffensive in Ukraine, I think there’s even greater opportunity for “The Ukrainians do that. Good on the field,” Blinken said Sunday on CBS. And in the same vein, he declared on NBC: “It’s an advantage for Ukraine, which continues to press ahead with their counteroffensive.” It’s still early days, but they have everything they need to succeed. It will drag on for weeks and even months, but that only creates another problem for Putin.”
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According to the Foreign Minister, everything is ready so that the counter-offensive can take place “at full speed”. “But they have a plan and they have a very conscious plan. You carry out this plan. And we have over 50 countries that continue to support them to ensure they have everything they need to do their best to reclaim the land that Russia has taken from them for the last 16 months. “It’s ongoing, but it will take time: weeks, maybe even months,” Blinken said.
While Blinken has attended four straight interviews, Biden has preferred to remain silent all weekend at Camp David and not make any public statements. It remains to be seen if he will make any public comments after his return to the White House. This Monday he has called for legislation to introduce an investment in telecommunications infrastructure, but it is not clear if he will allow questions.
Biden has kept in touch with his key allies. On Saturday he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
This Sunday, in addition to speaking with Zelensky, he also spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “as part of his close coordination with allies and partners following recent events in Russia,” the White House reported. . “Leaders have reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine and discussed the situation in Russia,” read the summary of the call from Washington. As we closely monitor developments in the security situation in Russia, we maintain close cooperation with allies and partners around the world. I discussed it with President Biden today. We will keep in touch and remain united in support of Ukraine.” Trudeau tweeted.
The Canadian Prime Minister also spoke to Selenski this Sunday. They discussed the current situation on the battlefield and exchanged assessments “of the attempted coup in Russia and the impact of this situation on the course of hostilities.” Zelensky explained.
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