Sunak to stay in close contact with Western allies after deal in brokered to end Wagner uprising
Rishi Sunak is expected to stay in close contact with Western allies to discuss after the rebellion against Vladimir Putin was defused today (24 June), Downing Street says.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will leave Russia as part of a deal to end his uprising and charges against him and his troops will be dropped, the Kremlin said.
Russian authorities will not prosecute troops who joined him in the mutiny and will offer Russian military contracts to those who did not.
No 10 said the Prime Minister spoke to US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday afternoon “to discuss the situation in Russia and reiterate their continuing support for Ukrainian sovereignty”.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said “The leaders have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days.”
It followed a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee chaired by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who also joined a call with fellow G7 foreign ministers to discuss the fast-moving situation.
The Prime Minister urged all parties involved in the Russian infighting to protect civilian lives.
He told the BBC: “We’re keeping a close eye on the situation, as it’s evolving on the ground as we speak.
“The most important thing I’d say is for all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians, and that’s about as much as I can say at this moment.”
Pressed on advice for British nationals remaining in Russia, Mr Sunak said the UK has “had long-standing travel advice against travel to Russia” and “people should keep checking the Foreign Office website for updates”.
Mr Cleverly tweeted that “we are monitoring the situation carefully and liaising closely with our allies” and “we continue to urge British citizens to follow FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice”.
An FCDO spokesperson said: “The Foreign Secretary has chaired a meeting of COBR to update on the latest situation, particularly with respect to British nationals in Russia.”
Mr Sunak held talks with fellow leaders about what UK defence officials described as “the most significant challenge” to the Kremlin in recent times.
Mr Prigozhin said he halted the rebellion to avoid “bloodshed”.
It came after the rebel leader vowed to topple Moscow’s military leadership, seized a southern Russian city and sent a convoy towards the capital.
The agreement averting a possible civil war in Russia and was mediated by the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, and he said the deal was approved by his close ally Mr Putin.
Mr Putin called the rebellion a “betrayal” in a televised address but Mr Prigozhin denied the claim and called his fighters “patriots”.
Before their retreat, the mercenaries had moved north towards Moscow throughout the day, with the governor of Lipetsk province, around 225 miles south of the capital, confirming they were crossing the region.
Wagner troops have been fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Ukraine and succeeded in taking the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the bloodiest and longest battles have raged.
But Mr Prigozhin recently stepped up his criticism of Russia’s military leadership, accusing it of botching the war and shelling his fighters.
Commenting on today’s events, Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky said Moscow was suffering “full-scale weakness”.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
