According to Politico newspaper, U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley held phone conversations with their European counterparts on Saturday to provide reassurance regarding the situation in Russia. Sources in the Washington administration revealed this information.
The purpose of these phone conversations between U.S. officials and their European counterparts was to reassure them and emphasize the importance of maintaining neutrality. An official stated that there is no reason to celebrate victory at this point. The discussions concluded that Kiev currently has an unprecedented opportunity for an offensive, as reported by the newspaper. The sources also mentioned that the movements of the Wagner PMC are being closely monitored by Washington.
Furthermore, the U.S. administration is assessing the potential consequences of the events in Russia for the conflict in Ukraine. The newspaper highlighted that senior U.S. officials held several interagency meetings on the evening of June 23 and the morning of June 24 regarding this matter. Due to these meetings and calls, President Biden had to delay his departure from the White House to his residence in Camp David, Maryland, where he is spending the weekend.
U.S. officials believed that the events in Russia could offer Ukraine a crucial opportunity to reverse the course of its struggling counteroffensive. However, an official cautioned that an official assessment of the situation has not been prepared yet, and it is premature to draw definitive conclusions. Referring to the Russian side, one senior official told Politico, “I don’t see how it can hurt them.”
