At their meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers really wanted to talk about military support for Ukraine, tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, Iran and Latin America. But then the events of the weekend upset the agenda.
The ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union met this Monday in Luxembourg to discuss the consequences of the attempted military coup in Russia.
While the meeting was supposed to focus on military support for Ukraine, tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, sanctions on Iran and relations with Latin America, the weekend’s surprising events disrupted the agenda.
Ministers are still grappling with the dramatic 36-hour episode in which Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group mercenary troops rose up against Russian leadership, posing the biggest threat to Vladimir Putin’s power since he took office in the Kremlin more than 20 years ago. years. years represented.
“The war against Ukraine that Putin started and the monster that Putin created with Wagner … is biting him now. The monster is acting against its creator,” said Josep Borrell, EU foreign policy chief, upon arrival. to the meeting.
“The political system is showing its weaknesses and military might is cracking. This is an important consequence of the war in Ukraine.”
Borrell avoided speculation about Prigozhin’s whereabouts or the possible impact of the failed coup on the course of the war.
“It’s certainly not good for a nuclear power like Russia to enter a period of political instability,” Borrell told reporters.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock remained cautious in her assessment and described the short-lived rebellion as a “domestic power struggle” in which the EU would not get involved.
“With this brutal war of aggression, Russia is destroying, Putin is destroying his own country,” Baerbock said.
Her French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, was similarly cautious, saying the international community had yet to see the “full consequences” of the uprising.
“However, these events raise many questions, perhaps more questions than answers,” Colonna said. “At this point, it’s clear that (the events) highlighted the fact that there were internal tensions and even cracks, fractures and weaknesses in the system.”
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on Western allies to strengthen Europe’s eastern flank in response to growing “unpredictability” inside Russia.
“We see how quickly things can develop,” said Landsbergis. “It took a military unit half a day to move 200 kilometers from Moscow. So imagine how quickly they can do that when they cross Belarus and emerge at the Lithuanian border.”
Landsbergis raised questions about the deal, allegedly brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which prompted Prigozhin to abruptly call off the mutiny and withdraw his troops. Details of the deal were not released, but it is believed that Prigozhin will live in exile somewhere in Belarus while Wagner’s soldiers are pardoned and given the opportunity to enlist in the Russian armed forces.
According to the Lithuanian minister, Lukashenko, who has been in power uninterruptedly since 1994, got involved in the dispute out of self-interest to protect his own political career.
Lukashenko is “so dependent on the Kremlin and if the Kremlin stops supporting him, it means he could end his career prematurely,” Landsbergis said.
The deal is heavily shrouded in secrecy, making it impossible to determine Wagner’s future as a mercenary organization or Prigozhin’s powers. So far, the Kremlin has not announced any changes in Russia’s military leadership, one of Prigozhin’s main demands.
“We don’t need to think about regime change in Russia, and we don’t need to plan for it either. The Russians are perfectly capable of doing it themselves,” Landsbergis said.
“The Russians will solve Russia.”