US, allies hook up but tread carefully as Russia crisis unfolds

Biden speaks with French, German and UK leaders amid concerns Putin’s control over the nuclear-armed country could be slipping.

Joe Biden boards Marine One with grandson Beau Biden at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland at the weekend. Picture: AFP

The US and its allies held close consultations but publicly stayed on the sidelines as officials waited to see how the armed revolt by longtime Kremlin insider Yev­geny Prigozhin and his private Wagner army would play out.

As the rebel force threatened to march on Moscow – then announced a pull-back – US officials carefully avoided direct comment on what some stressed was an “internal” situation in Russia, while Moscow warned them to stay out of the fray.

US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain amid concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s control over the nuclear-armed country could be slipping.

A White House readout of their call said they discussed “the situation in Russia”.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke with his Canadian, French, German, British and Polish counterparts, according to his spokesman.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, cancelled a planned trip to Israel and Jordan, a sign of serious concern in the US capital.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a call with counterparts from western Europe and Japan, with the partners pledging to “stay in close co-ordination,” State Department spokesman Matt Miller said after the call.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell avoided direct comment on what he called an “internal” Russian issue but said he had activated the EU crisis response centre and was co-ordinating officials in the bloc ahead of a Monday meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. “Our support to Ukraine continues unabated,” he added.

Beyond that, officials were mum, though clearly watching to see what would happen in Russia’s most serious security crisis in ­decades.

Mr Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris met early on Saturday with top US security officials, including Mr Austin, General Milley, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and CIA director William Burns.

A US military source said American officials needed to be careful of what they said, noting they did not want to give Mr Putin or others any reason to cast blame for the situation on Washington.

Moscow issued a stiff warning to the US and allies to stay back. “The rebellion plays into the hands of Russia’s external enemies,” the foreign ministry said.

“We warn the Western countries against any hint of possible use of the domestic Russian situation to achieve their Russophobic goals,” it said.

Moscow’s ally Belarus, meanwhile, called the uprising a “gift” to the West.

The White House did not respond when asked whether there had been any communications with Moscow over the security of its nuclear weaponry.

AFP