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President Joe Biden declared Monday the United States and NATO played no part in the Wagner mercenary group’s short-lived insurrection in Russia, calling the uprising and the challenges it poses to President Vladimir Putin’s power “a struggle within the Russian system.”
Biden and U.S. allies – including other nations united in support of Ukraine in its response to Russia’s invasion – showed clear resolve to be seen as staying out of Putin’s many troubles with the mutiny, concerned that he could use accusations of Western involvement in the uprising to rally Russians to his defense.
Over the course of a tumultuous weekend in Russia, U.S. diplomats were in contact with their counterparts in Moscow to underscore that the American government regarded the matter as a domestic affair for Russia, with the U.S. only a bystander, an official familiar with those discussions said.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said American diplomats also stressed to Moscow that they expected Russia to ensure the safety of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and Americans detained in Russia.
