U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Sunday that the disruptions resulting from the unprecedented challenge to President Vladimir Putin's authority by the Wagner Group's military fighters are likely not over and may take weeks or months to resolve. In a series of television interviews, Blinken noted that the tensions leading to the mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, which was ultimately thwarted, have been escalating for months and that these disruptions could affect Moscow's capabilities in Ukraine. He emphasized, "Our focus is unwavering and determined on Ukraine, ensuring that it has what it needs to defend itself and to regain the territory occupied by Russia."
He added that if the disturbances reach a point that causes division and fragmentation among the Russians, it could make continued aggression against Ukraine more difficult. Blinken confirmed that the nuclear status of the United States and Russia has not changed as a result of the recent crisis.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner revealed that Putin's future actions in Ukraine could be hampered by Prigozhin's confirmation that the rationale behind the invasion is based on lies. He stated on CBS's "Face the Nation," "It has become more difficult for Putin to continue appealing to the Russian people and saying, we must continue sending people to die."
Retired Air Force General Philip Breedlove, former head of U.S. European Command, remarked that the disturbances indicate a deterioration of Russian capabilities. In an interview, he said, "I think one of the outcomes of the last 36 hours, perhaps 48 hours, is that the institutions we have long seen as very secure in Russia are unraveling."
Senator Ben Cardin noted that the disturbances in Russia do not lessen the need for Washington to continue supporting Ukraine as it launches its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia. Cardin, a Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News, "This is a critical time for Ukraine. This counteroffensive will determine what we will be in a year or two."
Republican Congressman Don Bacon, a former Air Force general and member of the House Armed Services Committee, told NBC that a decline in Putin's standing would benefit Russia's neighbors, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. He added, "It would be different if Putin wanted to be a peaceful neighbor. But he is not."
