Global Courant
LONDON
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that what happened in Russia over the weekend was domestic issues, but what was clear was that “President Putin’s illegal war against Ukraine has deepened divisions and created new tensions in the country.”
Stoltenberg and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte hosted a working dinner for NATO leaders, including the prime ministers of Albania, Belgium and Norway, as well as the presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
Stoltenberg and Rutte had a meeting in The Hague before dinner.
“At the same time, we should not underestimate Russia. Therefore, it is even more important that we continue to provide our support to Ukraine.” .
“The Ukrainian forces are currently pursuing a counterattack. The conflict is difficult but they are making progress. The more land the Ukrainians can liberate, the stronger the hand will eventually be at the negotiating table,” he said.
The Russian Wagner Group accused Russian forces of attacking its fighters last Friday and then crossed from Ukraine to Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
In response, the Federal Security Service initiated a criminal case against the group for armed insurgency.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the uprising as “betrayal”.
The leader of the group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his fighters would advance to Moscow. This prompted the Kremlin to increase security measures in various regions.
Prigozhin later claimed that his fighters decided to turn back to avoid bloodshed when they were about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Moscow.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed that after getting Putin’s approval, he met with Wagner’s head and accepted Prigozhin’s de-escalation deal.
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