By: The opinion Posted Jun 25, 2023, 18:23 pm EDT
President Biden held a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss continued US support for Ukrainesaid the White House, where the Ukrainian leader called for increased pressure on Russia given the “weakness” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the face of the recent rebellion by the Wagner mercenary organization and his threatened march on Moscow on Saturday.
A reading of the White House call said Biden and Zelenskyy “discussed the ongoing Ukraine counteroffensive, and President Biden reaffirmed America’s unwavering support, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian assistance.”
This conversation came after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner’s mercenary group, ordered his troops to march on Moscow. and threatened to overthrow Russia’s military leadership.
The potential revolt ended when Prigozhin agreed to a deal to stop the march and take his troops to Belarus, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. As part of the agreement, Wagner’s troops will not be prosecuted and a criminal case against Prigozhin will be dropped, Peskov said.
The White House reported that both leaders discussed “recent events in Russia” and they also chatted about US support for Ukraine.
It is worth mentioning that this Saturday, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeni Prigozhin, agreed to stop the advance of his troops through Russian territory and “de-escalate the situation” during talks he held with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
The Ukrainian presidency considered that with such determination, Prigozhin humiliated the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, and evidenced the erosion of power of the Moscow leadership, despite its refusal to advance on the capital after negotiating its withdrawal with Belarus.
In addition, before Biden, Zelenski thanked the support of the United States and stressed the importance of the delivery of “Patriot advanced air defense systems” and defended the need to “increase Ukraine’s ability to protect its skies.”
The Ukrainian leader also raised the need to improve the “firepower of Ukraine with long-range weapons.
*With information from EFE
Keep reading:
• Russia: 5 keys to understanding the challenge of the Wagner Group to Putin by sending its troops to Moscow
• Russia: the leader of the Wagner Group stops the advance of his troops towards Moscow and moves to Belarus, according to the Kremlin
• Putin under pressure: Were the actions of the Wagner Group in Russia a coup attempt?