US President Joe Biden broke his silence on the Wagner Group uprising in Russia on Monday. In an appearance that discussed investment in infrastructure, he first made a brief statement, stressing that in the face of Russian aggression he reiterated his support for Ukraine, called on allies to coordinate and the West and the NATO distanced itself from the events. “We had nothing to do with it,” he said.
“As the situation began to develop, I ordered my national security team to monitor and update me on an hourly basis. I ordered them to prepare for a series of scenarios. I’ve also zoomed in on our best allies to make sure we’re all on the same page. “It is important that we are coordinated in our response,” began his statement, which lasted just over two minutes.
“We agreed that we need to make sure we don’t give Putin an excuse to blame it on the West or on NATO. We made it clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it. “This was part of a struggle within the Russian system,” he added.
The President of the United States recalled that he had spoken to the head of state of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he will remain in contact, and that he had assured him that “what happened in Russia is not for the United States role.” continue to support the defense of Ukraine and its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“He [Zelenski] and I have agreed to follow up and keep in touch. I am also in constant contact with our allies to maintain our coordination,” he continued.
“To maintain our coordination, I’m going to speak to the heads of state right after this meeting today and make sure we’re on the same page,” Biden said. “We will continue to assess the fallout from this weekend’s events and the impact on Russia and Ukraine. But it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions about where this is headed. The ultimate outcome of all this remains to be seen. But regardless of what comes next, I will continue to ensure that our allies and partners are closely aligned in how we interpret and respond to the situation. It is important that we are fully coordinated,” he concluded.
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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 he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the conversation as “positive and inspiring”.
In conversation with Zelenskyy, Biden spoke both about the situation in Russia and about the beginning counter-offensive. Cautious and aware of the difficulties, Washington believes Ukraine can take advantage of the chaotic situation in Russia in its counterattack, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken admitted on Sunday.
The President of Ukraine especially thanked the US and its allies for the Patriot missiles and fighter jets. In addition, they spoke “of a further expansion of defense cooperation with a focus on long-range weapons”. “We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored.” Zelensky tweeted on Sunday.
In addition to the talks between Biden and Zelenskyy, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also spoke to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov this Sunday about the development of regional security and the dynamics on the ground in Ukraine, the Pentagon reported.
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.
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