PRETORIA, South Africa: The recent mutiny orchestrated by Wagner mercenaries serves as a stark reminder that President Vladimir Putin has put Russia’s security in jeopardy through his invasion of Ukraine, affirmed Germany’s foreign minister on Tuesday.
Annalena Baerbock, during her visit to South Africa, emphasized that the revolt not only underscores Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine but also indicates that Putin has endangered the security of his own country.
Baerbock reassured Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine, both in humanitarian terms and with regards to the right to self-defense, as well as economically. She reiterated an “urgent” plea for an end to the ongoing war.
“We, as Europeans and as Germany, do not interfere in the conflict. Nevertheless, we closely monitor the situation,” she stated during a joint press conference with her South African counterpart, Naledi Pandor.
Baerbock also expressed gratitude to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for his leadership in leading an African delegation that seeks to mediate peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
The rebellion led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group, has sparked the most significant political crisis in Russia in decades. Prigozhin, entangled in a longstanding feud with Russia’s military leadership over the war, instructed his forces to march towards Moscow. However, he abruptly ordered them to retreat after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered a resolution to the crisis.
