Biden’s 'cautious' response to Wagner mutiny shows a 'remarkably effective' Ukraine strategy: journalist

27 June 2023

Russia's invasion of Ukraine suffered a major setback when the Wagner Group — a mercenary outfit hired by President Vladimir Putin and his allies in the Kremlin — revolted against the Russian government. Putin is still proceeding with the invasion, but Wagner and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will no longer be helping Russian forces in Ukraine.

Some pundits have been describing Wagner's revolt as an attempted "coup" against the Russia Federation, but The New Republic's Alex Shephard disagrees with that description. In an article published on June 27, Shephard argues that "mutiny" would be a more "accurate" way to describe Wagner's revolt — and applauds U.S. President Joe Biden's "cautious" and "sensible" response to the chaos.

"The reasons for the mutiny remain opaque, though they certainly involve Prigozhin's long-standing and intense feud with Russia's military leadership and a plan to integrate his mercenaries into Russia's regular army," Shephard explains. "One thing is clear, however: Putin's hold on power has never been weaker. This is, in many ways, a tremendous accomplishment for the ways in which Ukraine and its western allies — very much including the Biden Administration — have responded to Putin's illegal invasion."

Shephard adds, "But it also presents a new phase of the ongoing crisis and a new challenge for Biden and his allies."

Biden, Shephard notes, "urged caution" on Monday, June 26, saying, "It's still too early to reach a definitive conclusion about where this is going."

The journalist observes, "The Biden Administration and its allies handled it the way that they largely have handled the war since its inception: with firmness and caution, but also, a dash of opportunism…. The Biden Administration's quiet approach underscores its remarkably effective general strategy: to help Ukraine resist the Russian invasion however possible without inflaming tensions that could escalate the conflict."

Find The New Republic's full article at this link.

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