White House declines to comment on reports of Wagner scheme in Russia
Christian Datoc
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The White House declined to comment Wednesday when pressed about reports that Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin aimed to capture the leadership of the Russian military during his 36-hour revolt in the country.
A Wall Street Journal report claimed that U.S. officials had received briefings that Prigozhin had been conspiring to apprehend top Russian military leaders, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, and accelerated his mutiny after Russian intelligence officials uncovered the plot.
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Pressed on the claim while flying with the president to Chicago, Illinois, on Wednesday, White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton declined to offer any new comment.
“This is an internal matter for Russia, as the president has said. Our continued focus remains on supporting Ukraine,” she stated. “That’s where our focus is right now, and will continue to be for the time being.”
Dalton also faced questions about a Tuesday report corroborating that the Russian military knew of Prigozhin’s plans, with some in command actively conspiring with Wagner, but, again, declined to comment.
“We’re monitoring the situation closely, but our focus remains on Ukraine and making sure they have everything that they need to protect themselves,” Dalton reiterated.
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You can listen to Wednesday’s gaggle in full below.
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