Lukashenko “negotiated” de-escalation with Prigozhin throughout Saturday - report

In coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarus’s self-proclaimed leader Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Wgner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is now in the lead of an armed rebellion in Russia.

That’s according to the government-run Pool Pervogo Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports.

“This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the situation in southern Russia regarding Wagner PMC. The heads of state agreed on joint action,” the report reads.

“As a follow-up to the agreements reached earlier, the President of Belarus, having additionally clarified the situation through his own channels, and in agreement with the President of Russia, held talks with the head of PMC Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Negotiations went on throughout the day. As a result, the parties came to agreements on the inadmissibility of unleashing a bloody massacre on the territory of Russia,” the report notes.

It is claimed that Yevgeny Prigozhin “accepted the proposal” put forward by Alexander Lukashenko “to stop the advance of armed Wagner forces across the territory of Russia and take further steps to de-escalate tensions.”

At the moment, “an absolutely favorable and acceptable option” for resolving the crisis is on the table, the report adds, noting that it involves “security guarantees for Wagner PMC fighters.”

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on the morning of June 24, tensions between Wagner Group and Russia’s defense ministry spilled into a full-on military confrontation. Wagner’s units have seized administrative and military headquarters in Rostov before moving to seize Voronezh on their declared path to reach Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the mutiny of the "Wagner" PMC against the Russian authorities and stated that the weakness of the Russian Federation is currently obvious. According to him, Ukraine is able to protect Europe from the spread of Russian evil and chaos.