On Monday, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby during a press briefing at the White House noted that given the hostilities in Ukraine, “the United States is concerned about any possibility of instability in Russia.”
Kirby told reporters it’s important that “both here in the administration and with our allies and partners, including Ukraine, we all share our views on what’s going on and that everyone stays on the same wavelength”.
Kirby pointed out that the Biden administration “has made it clear to all of our allies and partners that the United States is not and will not be involved in this kind of event.”
“We regard them as internal affairs of Russia. We conveyed the same to the Russians themselves through the appropriate diplomatic channels,” Kirby said.
He said he saw Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s social media activity, which hinted at the involvement of Western intelligence services in the latest events in Russia. “We could have spared Mr. Lavrov that effort because we made it clear that the United States was not involved at all – there was no Western interference,” Kirby said.
Asked by a reporter if there had been any contact between the US and Russian military during the Prigozhin Rebellion, Kirby said “all I can tell you is that we passed these messages directly to Russia through various diplomatic channels. First, that the United States is not involved and will not be. And that we expect Russia to honor its obligations – its international obligations to protect diplomatic personnel in Moscow.”
Kirby told reporters that “it’s too early to speculate on the possible impact of these events (the Prigozhin Rebellion) or draw any firm conclusions, except for one thing – whatever happens next. , the United States will coordinate closely with allies and partners and continue to support Ukraine.
Kirby also noted the publicity of the conflict between Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry. “Tension, frustration, anger, accusations – it all happened in public. It was no secret,” Kirby said, emphasizing the importance of timely information sharing on the current situation between allies in order to be on the same page.
Asked by a reporter about the consequences of the Prigozhin rebellion on the ability of Wagner’s PMC to remain a fighting force in the war in Ukraine, and on their activities in Africa, Kirby replied that he did not yet have an answer. to this question. , as too little time had passed after the mutiny to draw conclusions, “too early to know”.
Kirby noted that the United States is “working to bring the Wagner PMC to justice. They are listed as a transnational criminal organization, they are under our sanctions. We will continue to take appropriate measures to limit their ability to continue to sow chaos and violence wherever they are. But after the events of this weekend, it is still too early to draw conclusions about what will happen to Wagner as an organization and what will happen to its leader Prigozhin.
Commenting on Ukraine’s reports of Russian plans to blow up the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Kirby replied that the United States was “monitoring this very closely” and that at the moment “see no signs that this threat is imminent. “.
Kirby declined to speculate on Putin’s possible next steps, noting that currently “tens of thousands of Russian troops” are still in Ukraine and “active fighting continues.”
“As we speak here, Ukrainian troops are still fighting for their country, trying to retake occupied territories and continuing to suffer casualties,” Kirby said. “Everything that happened in Russia last weekend will not change the situation for us and for Ukraine, and certainly will not affect our continued support.”
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