Putin talks to his allies amid internal rebellion – DW – 06/24/2023

kremlin leader, Russian President Vladimir Putinby phone on Saturday (06/20/2023) with his counterparts from Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as Turkey, about Armed rebellion It is headed by the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. “The president informed his interlocutors of the situation,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

President of the Republic of Turkey (Recep Tayyip ErdoganIn a statement, the Kremlin expressed its full support for the steps taken by the Russian presidency “to control the uprising of the mercenary group. It had earlier communicated with Alexander Lukashenko and Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, the heads of state of Belarus.” Kazakhstan, respectively.

Lukashenko was the first to take the call from Moscow. According to the Belarusian Belta agency, “the Russian president called the Belarusian president this morning (…) to inform him of the situation in Russia.” Kazakhstan Tokayev, whose country is considered an ally of Russia within the framework of the Treaty Organization. Collective Security (OTSC), a military alliance led by Moscow, “thanked him for his understanding” during these difficult times.

“Internal issue”

According to Kazakh news agencies, President Tokayev told Putin that what was happening in Russia was “an internal Russian matter.” He also spoke with the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to whom Putin “informed the situation,” and I agree with Peskov. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has lost allies in the international arena.

In response to rumors circulating on social networks and other fronts, confirming that a plane or helicopter with Putin on board was going to leave Moscow for St. Petersburg, Peskov announced that “the president works in the Kremlin,” without giving further details. Meanwhile, Moscow has become a fortress in waiting for the eventual arrival of Wagner’s forces in the capital.

DZC (EFE, AFP, Reuters)