US State Secy Blinken warns world is yet to see the 'last chapter' of Putin-Wagner drama

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that world is yet to see last chapter of Putin-Prigozhin drama. During a one-on-one interview with American News outlet MSNBC, Blinken touched upon wide-ranging challenges that have engulfed world. Wagner rebellion that engulfed country last month raised questions about Russian President Vlimir Putin’s hold on domestic affairs. In Tuesday interview, Blinken was asked for his take on Putin’s meeting with Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. 

“I don’t think we’ve seen last chapter in this drama.  fact that Putin met with Prigozhin, look, it’s an internal matter. Putin is clearly trying to work his way through something,” Blinken told MSNBC News on Tuesday. “But this was a direct challenge to his authority, a direct challenge to basic premises of war that he laid out. And I don’t think we’ve seen last of it,” he ded. Blinken remained uncertain on wher this meeting indicated Putin’s weakness and stated he is not sure if group will continue operating for Russia in Ukraine amid war. 

“It’s not something that I can speculate on. What we do know is this. For years, Putin denied any knowledge of Wagner having anything to do with it, and of course, he turned around and said, yeah, Wagner works for us, and of course, not just in Ukraine, but in Syria, in country after country in Africa,” Blinken told American news outlet. “Everywhere that Wagner has gone we’ve seen death, we’ve seen destruction, we’ve seen exploitation across board.  It has been a potent force for Russia in Ukraine.  So exactly what happens, where it goes, wher it continues to operate alongside Russian military in Ukraine, that’s an open question,” he stated. 

Blinken defends decision to send cluster munition to Ukraine 

During interview, US Secretary of State also defended Biden ministration’s decision to send controversial cluster munition to Ukraine. Blinken me it clear that it was a “hard but necessary decision” to send cluster munition to Ukraine. “If we didn’t do it, we don’t do it, n y will run out of ammunition.  If y run out of ammunition, y will be defenceless.  We have been working very hard to make sure that productive capacity to make conventional munitions that y need is being ramped up.  But re was going to be a gap between when y ran really low on those munitions, and when new ones were able to come online,” Blinken asserted. “se cluster munitions fill gap, and it’s something that is – in this case, is Ukraine using se munitions in defence of its own territory, in defence of its own people, on its territory.  We know y’re going to use m very carefully, very deliberately.  It’s very different than using se munitions for a war of aggression, which Russia has been doing from day one, using cluster munitions against Ukraine from start of this war,” he ded. 

When questioned about its dely results and how it can affect lives of civilians for a very long time,  US Secretary of State me it clear that Russia has been using se bombs from “day one”. “That’s (issue of demining) alrey case because of Russian use of se munitions. And again, it comes down to a very basic proposition, which is in absence of giving m se munitions now to make sure that re’s not a gap between when ir inventories of existing munitions run out and when new munitions come online, this is what needed to be done,” Blinken said. “ President me a hard but necessary decision,” he concluded.