Russia Latest: Putin Says Mutiny’s Organizers Sought to Divide
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President Vladimir Putin said organizers of an attempted mutiny sought to divide Russia and his government took all measures needed to neutralize the danger.
Putin said in an address that troops from the Wagner mercenary group could join the Russian Army or leave for Belarus, but didn’t comment on the fate of the group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. Earlier, Prigozhin said in an audio recording he didn’t seek to overthrow the Russian government, but his march on Moscow revealed serious problems with the country’s security. Russian news wires reported a criminal investigation into Prigozhin’s mutiny remains open.
At the White House, President Joe Biden said the US and allies agreed “that we had to make sure that we gave Putin no excuse to blame this on the West or blame this on NATO.” Biden said he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on a call that that “no matter what happened in Russia” the US and allies would continue to be committed to Ukraine’s defense.
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All times are CET
Russia Conducts Flight Exercises Over Baltic Sea (5:15 a.m.)
The tactical flight exercises of warplanes including the Su-27 fighter are being held over the Baltic, the Russian Defense Ministry said on a Telegram channel.
The exercises are aimed at testing the readiness of flight crews to conduct special tasks and the capabilities of aviation equipment, the ministry added.
Oil Edges Higher After Choppy Session (4:35 a.m.)
Oil edged higher after a choppy session following the short-lived uprising in Russia, a major OPEC+ producer.
West Texas Intermediate futures climbed toward $70 a barrel after closing 0.3% higher on Monday. While the dramatic events in Russia over the weekend came to an abrupt end, they added further uncertainty to an oil market grappling with persistent concerns over the demand outlook, especially from China.
US Denies Any Role in Russia Uprising (11:19 p.m.)
Biden sought to preempt any talk from Putin that the West provoked the mercenary rebellion which shook Russia, saying the US and NATO had played no role and were still weighing its consequences.
In his first public comments about the matter, Biden said it was still too soon to make any conclusions about the revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries and their leader, Prigozhin.
US Denies Any Role in Russia Uprising as Allies Watch and Wait
No Sign Russia Has Any Intent to Use Nuclear Weapons: US (8:23 p.m.)
“Outside of the blustery rhetoric, we’ve seen no indication that there’s any intent to use nuclear weapons inside Ukraine” from Russia, John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, told reporters at the White House.
He also said “there’s absolutely no indication that there’s been any changes that we’ve seen in the chain of command for the Russian military forces.” Kirby said “we had good direct communications with the Russians over the course of the weekend. It’s our expectation that that would be able to continue going forward.”
Pentagon to Give Ukraine $500 Million More in Weapons (6:40 p.m.)
A $500 million package to be announced by the Biden administration will include as many as 40 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Stryker wheeled fighting vehicles, according to a US official familiar with the contents.
The equipment drawn from US inventories, reported earlier by Reuters, will include Himars and Patriot missiles, additional Stinger air defense missiles and AT-4 hand-launched missiles, said the official, who asked not to be identified before an announcement expected as soon as Tuesday.
Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, told reporters “you’re gonna see another round of support announced from this administration for Ukraine, in terms of weapons and capabilities, this week.”
Latvia Stops Issuing New Visas to Russians (5:31 p.m.)
Latvia suspended issuing new visas to Russians, the Foreign Ministry said, citing instability there.
“Owing to the unpredictable development of domestic political events in Russia, the acceptance of applications for all types of visas from the citizens of Russia has been suspended at diplomatic and consular missions of Latvia abroad,” the ministry said.
Prigozhin Says He Didn’t Plan Coup (5:12 p.m.)
Prigozhin, speaking for the first time since pulling back his troops, said he marched on the Russian capital because he didn’t want his Wagner mercenaries to come under the command of the Defense Ministry.
The advance showed serious security problems in Russia, he said in a recording released on Telegram in which he didn’t specify from where he was speaking. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko helped find a negotiated solution to the weekend’s events, he said.
Criminal Case Against Prigozhin Still Open (2:50 p.m.)
A criminal investigation into Prigozhin’s rebellion remains open, state news agencies reported, citing sources they didn’t identify.
On Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said as part of the deal that de-escalated the situation, the case would be closed. He didn’t specify when. Two Russian lawyers told Bloomberg that technical procedures mean it may take time to close down criminal cases once formally opened.
Ukraine’s Bonds Lead Gains in Emerging Markets (2:38 p.m.)
Several of Ukraine’s international bonds rose to wartime highs on Monday, albeit from deeply distressed levels. The $3.2 billion of 2041 notes, whose payouts are linked to future economic growth, hit their highest levels since Russia started its invasion in February last year — trading at nearly 40 cents on the dollar.
Bonds have been buoyed in past weeks by hopes for more western financing for Kyiv, as well as a push to use frozen Russian assets to pay for reconstruction.
In Moscow, the ruble was trading 0.2% stronger against the dollar as of 3:30 p.m. after falling as much as 3% at the open of trading. Russian stocks declined, partially erasing the gain of recent months.
Sweden and Turkey Agree to Meeting on NATO Bid (2:04 p.m.)
Sweden and Turkey agreed to hold a meeting to discuss Stockholm’s bid to join NATO. It will be held before the alliance’s leaders summit in Vilnius next month and Stoltenberg said it will include foreign ministers, heads of intelligence and national security advisers.
Putin Speaks with Leaders of Iran and Qatar (1:22 p.m.)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed full support to the Russian leadership during a call with Putin, the Kremlin said. Putin also spoke with Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
Ukraine Calls for More Weapons After Russian Mutiny (1:16 p.m.)
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged European Union states to provide Ukraine with more weapons and ammo to confront Russia, saying the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries underscored the weakness of Putin and his government.
He also called for his EU counterparts to tighten sanctions against Russia’s nuclear sector, digital technology, diamond sales, maritime logistics and finances ahead.
Permanent German Brigade Ready for Lithuania (12:15 p.m.)
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany is prepared to station a permanent brigade of some 4,000 troops in Lithuania to help shore up NATO’s eastern flank against potential Russian aggression.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government previously said the German military contingent would operate on a rotational basis. Saying the situation in Russia “seems to be very unstable” after Prigozhin’s mutiny, Pistorius also reinforced Germany’s commitment to the security of the Baltic states.
NATO Calls Russian Events Internal Matter (11:29 a.m.)
NATO is monitoring the situation in Russia closely, Stoltenberg said. “The events over the weekend are an internal Russia matter, and yet another demonstration of the big strategic mistake that President Putin made,” he told reporters in Vilnius.
The alliance is also monitoring the situation in Belarus, while condemning Russia’s announcement that it will deploy nuclear weapons there, Stoltenberg added. NATO doesn’t see any indication that Russia is preparing to use such arms, he added.
Lithuania Calls for Reinforcements on Eastern Flank (11 a.m.)
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said NATO should look at how to reinforce its eastern flank after the latest developments in Russia. Russia is an “unpredictable” neighbor and we “still believe that countries that border Belarus, Russia are in a dangerous situation, are in a vulnerable in situation,” he said.
Prigozhin May Threaten Belarus, Opposition Says (10:08 a.m.)
Prigozhin’s relocation to Belarus has created a new threat to the country’s independence as well as the safety of its NATO neighbors, exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said.
“If Prigozhin comes to Belarus with his thugs, it will threaten our neighbors too — Poland, Lithuania, Latvia,” Tsikhanouskaya said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
(An earlier version corrected the title of US spokesman John Kirby)
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