Press release of the Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus

This morning President of Russia Vladimir Putin informed his Belarusian counterpart about the situation in Russia’s south that had been caused by the private military company Wagner. The heads of state agreed on joint actions.

Acting upon the agreement, the Belarusian President additionally clarified the situation using his own channels and held negotiations with the Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin with approval of the Russian President.

The negotiations lasted for the entire day. As a result, the sides agreed that it is unacceptable to start a bloodbath in Russia’s territory. Yevgeny Prigozhin accepted Aleksandr Lukashenko’s proposal on stopping the advance of Wagner’s armed units in Russia’s territory and on further steps meant to deescalate tensions.

At present an absolutely advantageous and acceptable variant to defuse the situation is available, including safety guarantees for fighters of the private military company Wagner.

It was reported earlier that earlier today the Belarusian President held two conferences with officers of defense, security, and law enforcement agencies in response to the situation in Russia.