Safari nation facebook9/15/2023 ![]() ![]() BLINKEN: Too soon to tell what's going to happen to the Wagner forces, whether they go back to the fight. ![]() So do the Wagner fighters return to the fight in Ukraine? Do we know? MARGARET BRENNAN: But as you just said, Prigozhin drew into question the very premise for Vladimir Putin's war. We have tremendous unity of purpose and unity of action when it comes to supporting Ukraine. The President brought together not only the national security cabinet yesterday, he brought together the leaders of our key allies and partners. Our focus is relentlessly on Ukraine, making sure that they continue to have what they need to defend themselves, to take back the territory that Russia seized. I suspect that we're going to learn more in the days and weeks ahead about what- what deal they struck. I think one of the things this- this tells you is that we still don't- don't have finality in terms of what was actually agreed between Prigozhin and Putin. Again, we're watching that- that carefully. BLINKEN: I don't want to- I don't want to speculate on that, or what information that we have. ![]() Do you know the whereabouts of Vladimir Putin right now? Is he in Moscow? But it appears to have been pre-recorded. MARGARET BRENNAN: Vladimir Putin is appearing on television this morning. There hasn't been any change in ours, but it's something we're going to watch very, very carefully. We haven't seen any change in Russia's nuclear posture. Of course, when we're dealing with a major power, and especially a major power that has nuclear weapons, that's something that's of concern, something we're very focused on. It's an internal matter for the Russians to figure out. BLINKEN: We always prepare for every contingency in terms of what happens in Russia. prepared for the potential of the fall of the Putin government? And is their nuclear stockpile, the largest in the world, secure? We do know that Putin has a lot more to answer for in the- in the weeks and months ahead. We can't speculate or know exactly where that's gonna go. And it was a direct challenge to Putin's authority. Prigozhin himself in this entire incident has raised profound questions about the very premises for Russia's aggression against Ukraine in the first place, saying that Ukraine or NATO did not pose a threat to Russia, which is part of Putin's narrative. Now over this weekend, they've had to defend Moscow, Russia's capital, against mercenaries of Putin's own making. Sixteen months ago, Russian forces were on the doorstep of Kyiv in Ukraine, thinking they'd take the city in a matter of days, thinking they would erase Ukraine from the map as an independent country. We're watching it very closely and carefully, but just step back for a second and put this in- in context. We haven't seen- we haven't seen the last act. And I think we're in the midst of a moving picture. BLINKEN: Margaret, this is an unfolding story. ready for further unrest in Russia, and the scenario that Vladimir Putin does not remain in power? ![]()
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