US Top General postponed trip to 'Israel', Jordan amid Wagner's mutiny

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
25 Jun 2023 19:58

In the wake of Russia's Wagner situation, the US' Top General announced postponing his trip to "Israel" and Jordan.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US General Mark Milley listens to questions from the media during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, June 15, 2023. (AP)

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has postponed his scheduled trip to "Israel" in the aftermath of an armed mutiny by the Wagner private military group against the Russian leadership and his administration.

One of Milley's spokespersons said late Saturday that the top US military officer had intended to visit "Israel" and Jordan for meetings with their defense leaders, but that the trip had been canceled "due to the situation in Russia."

His trip was called off shortly before Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he had brokered a deal for Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to halt his proclaimed advance on Moscow and end his mutiny.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was also alleged to have canceled a planned discussion on the NATO-orchestrated war in Denmark right before the situation erupted in Russia. Wagner soldiers stated they were traveling north in a convoy of trucks, tanks, and infantry armored vehicles, trying to reach Moscow before being caught by the Russian army.

Prigozhin accused Russia's military high command of targeting Wagner's field camps in Ukraine, where Russia is spearheading a military campaign, allegedly killing "huge numbers" of his forces. He had earlier demanded that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov be handed over to him.

According to the deal, a criminal prosecution filed against Prigozhin would be abandoned, and he would leave Russia and relocate to Belarus. Wagner fighters implicated in the nocturnal insurrection would not face charges, as stipulated in the agreement.

Western response to the armed mutiny

Separately, an informed source told the US-based news website Axios on Saturday that Secretary of State Tony Blinken had convened a secure conference call with various Western foreign ministers to discuss the escalating situation in Russia.

According to the source, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and the European Union were on the call with Blinken.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy leader, confirmed the meeting in a tweet, writing, "Had a call with G7 Foreign Ministers to exchange views on the situation in Russia." I am coordinating within the European Union and have activated the crisis response center ahead of Monday's EU Foreign Affairs Council."