Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, thanked Belarus leader, Alexander Lukashenko, after the chief of mercenary group, Wagner, announced he was turning around his forces.
“The President of Belarus informed the President of Russia in detail about the results of negotiations with the leadership of PMC Wagner,” Lukashenko’s press service released a statement saying as quoted by news agency AFP, adding Putin “thanked his Belarusian colleague.”
Wagner chief commands fighters to retreat
In a dramatic turn of events, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the rebellious leader of the Wagner mercenary, commanded his fighters to retreat from their advance toward Moscow to prevent any violent confrontation or avert the potential bloodshed.
His move came after Belarus asserted that President Alexander Lukashenko was able to persuade the Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin to cease his march toward Moscow. If the claims are to be believed, it can lead to a potential end to the coup attempt in Russia, the first in the last thirty years.
Media reports citing Lukashenko’s press service said the president engaged in extensive negotiations with Prigozhin throughout the “entire day” after establishing a mutual understanding with Putin.
Before his negotiations with Wagner’s chief, he held talks with Putin and they agreed on joint actions and “additionally clarifying the situation through his own channels.”
The press service stated that Prigozhin has accepted Lukashenko’s appeal to halt the movement. It said Prigozhin had “accepted [Lukashenko’s] request to “stop the movement of armed men from the Wagner company on Russian territory and [take] further steps to de-escalate the situation.”
“At the moment, there is an absolutely advantageous and acceptable way to defuse the situation on the table, with security guarantees for Wagner’s fighters,” Lukashenko’s press service said, as per media reports.
Before Wagner chief’s decision to turn back his forces, Ukraine’s defence ministry mocked the presence of Russian troops within the country on Saturday, urging them to return home and participate in the ongoing clashes between rebel mercenaries and Russia’s military. The ministry’s statement questioned the reason behind Russian soldiers still being stationed in challenging conditions instead of supporting their comrades involved in the conflict.
In a statement, the Ukrainian ministry asked, “why Russian soldiers are still sitting in muddy trenches rather than running to the aid of their comrades on both sides of the conflict. That would be far safer than confronting the Ukrainian army.”
(With inputs from agencies)
