Washington [US], June 26: The unprecedented challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Wagner fighters has exposed fresh "cracks" in the strength of his leadership that may take weeks or months to play out, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Blinken and members of the U.S. Congress said in a series of television interviews that Saturday's turmoil in Russia has weakened Putin in ways that could aid Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces within its territory while benefiting Russia's neighbours, including Poland and the Baltic states.
Blinken said tensions that sparked the action had been growing for months and added the threat of internal turmoil could affect Moscow's military capabilities in Ukraine.
Blinken described the turmoil as an "internal matter" for Putin.
U.S. officials expect to learn more soon about the events that unfolded in Russia, including details of the deal with Prigozhin mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that led Wagner fighters to return to their bases.
Forces led by Prigozhin, a former Putin ally and ex-convict, have fought the bloodiest of battles in Russia's 16-month war in Ukraine.
House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said Putin's future actions in Ukraine could be inhibited by Prigozhin's assertion that the rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies.
Retired U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, former head of U.S. European Command, said the turmoil demonstrates a degradation of Russian capabilities.
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said the weekend turmoil in Russia does not ease Washington's need to continue aiding Ukraine as it launches its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia.
Republican Representative Don Bacon, a former U.S. Air Force general who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told NBC that a diminished Putin would be a benefit for Russia's neighbors including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation