The U.S. reportedly will halt sanctions against the Russian private military organization Wagner after the group launched a coup attempt against the Russian government.
The State Department was supposed to announce new sanctions on the group’s gold business in Africa—which contains a mining operation in the Central African Republic— on Tuesday but decided to delay going forward with a new set of sanctions, fearing it could unintentionally help Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Washington does want to appear to be taking sides,” a source told the Wall Street Journal.
Cameron Hudson, a former chief of staff to the U.S. special envoy for Sudan, claimed that the U.S. does not know how to handle the situation and puts Washington in a difficult position of accidentally assisting Putin.
“Washington has had a strategy in place to target, isolate, and weaken Wagner’s growth in Africa; continuing that approach now potentially puts Washington in the difficult position of assisting Putin,” Hudson explained, adding that the group has already faced U.S. sanctions over election interference and for taking part in the Russia-Ukraine war.
After nearly 24 hours, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin ended his attempted coup, withdrawing his troops from Rostov and other regions.
“The moment has come when blood can be shed. Understanding all the responsibility for the fact that Russian blood can be shed on one of the sides, we turn our columns around and leave in the opposite direction to the field camps according to the plan,” Prigozhin said.
Following the mercenary leader’s attack, Russian State Media revealed Putin’s concessions he made to stop the group’s coup in Moscow.
The negotiations include a “Stipulation” that the Majority of Wagner PMC Forces will be redeployed from Russia and Ukraine to Africa.”
“Major Changes to the Leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, including changes to the current Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, and Army Chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, have reportedly been Agreed upon in order to Stop the March of the Wagner PMC Group towards the Capital of Moscow; these Negotiations have also reportedly included the assured ‘Security of the Wagner Group,’” OSINT defender reported.