Stoltenberg: NATO ready to defend against “Moscow or Minsk”
The NATO bloc is ready to defend itself against any threat from “Moscow or Minsk”, said the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, on Tuesday, June 27.
According to him, it is too early to draw conclusions about the consequences of the fact that the founder of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin moved to Belarus, but most likely part of his forces will also settle in Belarus, Stoltenberg admitted.
“We send a clear signal to Moscow and Minsk that NATO exists to protect every ally and every inch of NATO territory,” said the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance. In the capitals of Russia and Belarus, “there should be no place for misunderstandings about our ability to protect our allies from any potential threat”, regardless of the movement of Wagner PMC forces, he added.
At the same time, Stoltenberg said the West should not “underestimate” Russia after last weekend’s chaotic events. At the July summit in Lithuania, the alliance will focus on solutions to strengthen collective defense in order to protect all its members – especially those who share a common border with Russia and Belarus, recalled the NATO secretary general. .
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, who was also present at the same time, in turn warned about the risks of deploying Wagner militants in Belarus. “If Wagner transfers his serial killers to Belarus, all neighboring countries will face an even greater risk of instability,” he said.
PMC “Wagner” mutiny
The PMC “Wagner” rebellion began in the late evening of June 23 and lasted just under a day. Prigozhin accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his department of attacking PMC camps, in which he said many people died. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has rejected these allegations. Prigozhin then announced that the “Wagner Group” had decided to “stop the evil that the country’s military leadership is carrying”, calling this attack a “march for justice”.
On the night of June 24, the founder of the Wagner PMC announced that he was turning the columns towards Moscow and leaving for the field camps, pointing out the threat of bloodshed. At the same time, the ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said that he held talks with Yevgeny Prigozhin at the request of Vladimir Putin and agreed to stop the movement of Wagner militants towards the Russian capital. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then said that Prigozhin “would leave for Belarus”.
Source: DW
Anna White is a journalist at 247 News Reel, where she writes on world news and current events. She is known for her insightful analysis and compelling storytelling. Anna’s articles have been widely read and shared, earning her a reputation as a talented and respected journalist. She delivers in-depth and accurate understanding of the world’s most pressing issues.