According to the Washington Post, the private military company (PMC) Wagner tried to buy weapons from Turkey, which is a member of NATO. The purpose of the acquisition of weapons was the fighting in Ukraine and Mali. The journalists analyzed data that fell into the public domain following the leak of dozens of classified intelligence documents, some of which were compiled by the Pentagon.
Access to PMC plans was obtained through wiretapping and message interception. Some of the documents were prepared for senior US military officials, including General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
As noted, in early February, employees of the Wagner Group met “with representatives of Turkey in order to purchase weapons and equipment” for military operations in Mali and Ukraine, according to one of the reports. Mali’s interim president, Assimi Goita, has reportedly confirmed that his country “could acquire weapons from Turkey” acting in the interests of Yevgueni Prigojine’s company.
Representatives of the Turkish government and the Malian embassy in Washington declined to comment on this information. It is currently unknown whether Wagner PMC’s attempts to acquire weapons produced any results.
