Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Yevgeny Prigozhin just days after the leader of the Wagner Group led a short-lived uprising against Moscow, the Kremlin said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the three-hour meeting, which took place on June 29, was attended by 35 people. Commanders of Prigozhin’s mercenary group also attended the meeting, Peskov said, which took place days after Prigozhin led an armed uprising aimed at ousting Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power.
Peskov said Monday that during the meeting, Putin made an “assessment” of the Wagner group’s efforts in Ukraine and “the events of June 24.” The Kremlin spokesman also noted that Putin “listened to the explanations given by the commanders and offered them options for further employment and further deployment in combat.”
“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They emphasized that they are loyal supporters and soldiers of the head of state and commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue fighting for their homeland,” Peskov said.
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Prigozhin ended the uprising after striking a deal with Putin that reportedly included permission to allow the Wagner group leader to go into exile and avoid prosecution. Prigozhin was reported to have been in Belarus after the uprising, but Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said last week the mercenary leader had been in Russia.
It is not clear whether Prigozhin’s alleged trip to Russia would violate the agreement with Putin. Since the uprising, Putin has waged a smear campaign against Prigozhin as public approval of the mercenary leader has plummeted.
The Associated Press contributed to this.
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