Russia's Wagner mutiny: What foreign governments have said

After Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary Wagner Group brought in by Russian President Vladimir Putin to help salvage his invasion of Ukraine, turned his guns on the Russian army and threatened to topple the country's military leadership, Putin in a televised address on Saturday denounced the coup as “a stab in the back"

Putin also vowed harsh punishment for the organisers of the rebellion spearheaded by mercenary chief before the Wagner Group reached a compromise and decided to turn back.

As the situation developed, world leaders closely watching the events unfolding in Russia soon began to weigh in.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the revolt by Wagner mercenary troops in Russia exposed the complete chaos in the country and its "full-scale weakness". "Today the world can see that the masters of Russia control nothing. And that means nothing. Simply complete chaos. An absence of any predictability," Zelenskyy said.

Read | Rebel Russian mercenaries halt advance on Moscow, Kremlin says fighters to face no action

The Ukrainian President added, "Russia's weakness is obvious. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a similar reaction. She said the revolt by the Wagner mercenary group showed Russia was in the grips of internal "chaos".

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. "The leaders discussed the situation in Russia. They also affirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine," the White House said.

A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that during the conversation, the four leaders had reaffirmed their commitment to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office made a similar commitment about Ukraine, and said the leaders "have agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days". Sunak further urged "all parties to be responsible and to protect civilians."

French President Emmanuel Macron, too, discussed the Wagner rebellion's "possible impact" on the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russia's close ally Belarus said that the armed insurrection by the Wagner Group was a "gift" to Western countries, warning that the uprising could spell "disaster".

In a call with Putin on Saturday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he backed the Russian government's handling of a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary army, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Kremlin noted that Putin also spoke to the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to Kazakh media, Tokayev told Putin that events in Russia were an "internal affair," and Putin thanked him for his "understanding" of the situation.

Meanwhile, North Korea offered its full support for Russia in dealing with the mutiny, the state KCNA news agency reprted on Sunday. Im Chon Il, North Korea's vice foreign minister "expressed firm belief that the recent armed rebellion in Russia would be successfully put down in conformity with the aspiration and will of the Russian people."

(With agency inputs)