US, allies consult as security crisis unfolds rapidly in Russia
- US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that Washington’s support “will not change”
Around the time of reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private military outfit Wagner Group, had agreed to leave Russia as part of a deal that would spare him prosecution in Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that Washington’s support for Russia’s neighbour “will not change”.
The brief readout from the State Department also said that Washington “will stay in close coordination with Ukraine as the situation develops”. Blinken delivered roughly the same message in a separate call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin delivered a similar message in separate calls with his counterparts in Canada, France, Germany, Poland and Britain, according to a readout by Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder.
Earlier in the day, Biden spoke with his counterparts in Germany, France and Britain, a call in which the four leaders “affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine”, according to the White House.
The White House said Biden, who departed Saturday afternoon for the presidential retreat Camp David, and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by his national security team.
