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US and Western officials are being careful not to weigh in on the events unfolding in Russia because of how Russian President Vladimir Putin could weaponize any perceived involvement by the west in the escalating crisis, sources familiar with the administration’s thinking told CNN.
Officials across the administration convened emergency meetings on Friday night to assess the events, which unfolded so quickly that they caught US and European officials off guard, the sources said. Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the private Wagner military group, vowed Friday to retaliate against Russian military leadership over an alleged strike on a Wagner military camp and has since claimed control of military facilities in two Russian cities.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s office confirmed Saturday that he spoke with officials from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and the European Union.
During the discussion, “Secretary Blinken reiterated that support by the United States for Ukraine will not change,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, adding that the US “will stay in close coordination” with Western officials.
Britain, meanwhile, held a meeting of its emergency government task force to discuss the unfolding events, a UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson told CNN.
