Following Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s condemnation of their military rebellion as “treason” amid a crisis, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has stated that his soldiers will not surrender. Do you know how world leaders reacted to Wagner’s mutiny against Putin?
On the one hand, Putin issued a warning to put an end to what he called an armed mutiny. CNN claims that Yevgeny Prigozhin, on the other side, has taken control of several military sites and has dispatched some of his soldiers to Moscow.
The mutiny of the Wagner mercenary squad in Russia presented President Vladimir Putin with a major challenge to his long-standing leadership, attracting the attention of global leaders who were already closely monitoring developments in the region as a result of the Ukraine-Russia war.
Must read: What is Russia’s Wagner Group and why is it accused of mutiny?
Here’s how world leaders reacted to Wagner’s mutiny against Putin:
“All parties to be responsible and to protect civilians. We’re keeping a close eye on the situation and how it’s evolving on the ground as we speak,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
“We’re in touch with our allies as the situation evolves. I’ll be speaking to some of them later today and the most important thing is for all parties to behave responsibly,” he told the BBC.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Wagner mutiny showed Russia was weak.
“Russia’s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later,” he said in a statement on social media.
US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation in Russia and Washington and “will be consulting with allies and partners on these developments”, National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said.
European Union chief Charles Michel tweeted that the bloc was “closely monitoring the situation in Russia as it unfolds. In touch with European leaders and G7 partners.”
“This is clearly an internal Russian issue,” he wrote, adding that “our support for Ukraine” remains “unwavering”.
