Global Courant
A senior US official says it is a mystery why Yevgeny Prigozhin stopped his march on Moscow given that he was apparently in a position of dominance.
The official said he was greeted like a hero in Rostov-on-Don. However, the senior official told ABC News that Prigozhin is in an “emotional state” and that he may have done so because he thought it would destroy Russia, or because he had glimpsed his own end. It is impossible to say whether Prigozhin thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin will actually honor their deal, which includes folding Wagner group soldiers into the Russian army.
The official said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was very effective in telling Prigozhin and Putin that this was all a misunderstanding and that they are both patriots and are pursuing the same goals.
Putin would be completely shocked by the speed with which Wagner Group moved across Russia. For now, he’s just trying to secure his position. He does not want to be seen negotiating his defense minister, but the official says the US believes concessions have been made on the future of Sergei Shoigu and others.
—Martha Raddatz of ABC News
