Kremlin reports on Putin and Prigozhin's meeting after mutiny
The Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Vladimir Putin met with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, after the mutiny. The meeting lasted for almost three hours.
Source: Russian propaganda news agency TASS
Quote from Peskov: "The president had such a meeting [with Prigozhin – ed.]. He invited 35 people to attend – all the commanders of the detachments and the [Wagner] company's management, including Prigozhin himself. This meeting took place in the Kremlin on 29 June. It lasted for almost three hours."
Details: According to Peskov, at the meeting, Putin assessed the actions of the Wagner Group at the front, as well as the mutiny.
Peskov added that the Russian dictator listened to the explanations of the Wagner Group commanders and offered them "options for employment and combat use".
In turn, the Wagner mercenaries allegedly told Putin their version of events and stressed that they "are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state".
Previously: Before that, the French newspaper Libération had reported, citing sources in Western intelligence, that Prigozhin was in Moscow and met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on 1 July.
Background:
- Self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said on 6 July that Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagnerites themselves are not in Belarus at the moment.
- Following the mutiny and a conversation with the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin said that his mercenaries were returning to field camps. The criminal case against Prigozhin in the Russian Federation was ordered to be closed, and he was to go to Belarus.
- On 27 June, Yevgeny Prigozhin's business jet flew to Belarus from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, and another plane arrived there from St Petersburg.
- On the same day, Lukashenko claimed Prigozhin was in Belarus.
- On 4 July, it was reported that Prigozhin had arrived in St Petersburg, where weapons seized during searches were returned to him.
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