G7 foreign ministers exchange views on Russia

According to the Federal Foreign Office, the federal government is consulting with important international partners on the situation in Russia. There, Wagner’s mercenary army leads a violent uprising. “Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has just discussed the situation with the foreign ministers of the G7,” said a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office on Saturday afternoon in Berlin. In addition to Germany, the G7 also includes France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the USA and Great Britain.

The federal government is closely monitoring developments in Russia, the spokesman said. The Federal Government’s crisis team is currently meeting at the Federal Foreign Office, headed by State Secretary Andreas Michaelis. The ministry had already adjusted the travel and safety instructions for German citizens in Russia in the morning.

There it is now said that the affected areas and in particular the city of Rostov-on-Don and the surrounding area should be avoided. “In Moscow, state, especially military, facilities should be largely bypassed. The city center should be avoided until further notice.”

According to a government spokesman, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is also being “continuously informed” about developments in Russia as a result of the uprising by the Wagner mercenary group. “The situation remains quite dynamic. In this respect, we are monitoring this very closely and are also coordinating with our closest allies,” said the spokesman on Saturday in Berlin. A statement by the chancellor is currently not planned.

Boris Pistorius (SPD) is also cautious. From the defense minister’s point of view, the possible consequences of the armed uprising by the Wagner mercenary army in Russia for the Ukraine war can hardly be foreseen at the moment. “It’s difficult to estimate, especially since we don’t know how unstable Russia will become and who will ultimately have the upper hand and who will team up with whom,” he said on Saturday at the sidelines of a party conference of the Lower Saxony SPD in Aurich.

It is too early for an assessment, said Pistorius. “If you did that now, you would cloud your open view of what is actually happening.” When asked about Germany’s options, the minister replied: “In this situation we have no options for action. It is an internal political conflict in Russia. We cannot yet say whether this will develop into a power struggle. We are observers. Like all allies, we are watching very closely and otherwise keeping our focus on supporting Ukraine.”

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for the protection of civilians in view of the escalation in Russia. Everyone involved would have to take responsibility, Sunak told the British broadcaster BBC on Saturday. He announced that he would speak with other heads of state and government on Saturday about the uprising of Wagner’s private army against the military leadership. “We are closely monitoring the situation as it is currently developing on the ground. “We are in touch with our allies.”
When asked whether it was good or bad news that Russian President Vladimir Putin was being challenged, Sunak evaded the question: “It’s an evolving situation.”

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sees the armed uprising by the Wagner mercenary group against Moscow as a sign of Russia’s weakness. “Russia’s weakness is obvious. Weakness in full,” writes Zelensky on the social media platform Telegram. “And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries in our country, the more chaos, pain and problems it will have later on itself.”

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has created “instability” at home. The latest developments in Russia are being closely followed, it said in a statement from her office. Meloni announced a special meeting with the responsible ministers of her right-wing government and the secret services for Saturday. The Foreign Ministry in Rome warned Italians who are in Russia to be careful.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda also announced that the government is closely monitoring developments in Russia. There are consultations with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, but also with the allies. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky warned compatriots against traveling to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation in Russia following the uprising of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. In the phone call, Erdogan declared his “full support for the steps taken by the Russian leadership,” the Kremlin said on Saturday, according to the state news agency TASS. The phone call was initiated by Türkiye.

Iran, which recently intensified relations with Russia, meanwhile describes the events in Russia as an internal matter. Iranian state media also quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that the Islamic Republic supports the rule of law in the Russian Federation.

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