Belarus’ Lukashenko says he convinced Putin not to eliminate Prigozhin

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said he prevented Russian President and longtime ally Vladimir Putin from taking out failed rebels and Russian paramilitary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin after an attempted coup over the weekend .

Lukashenko said: “I also realized that we made a difficult decision (Putin hinted at this in his speech) – to eliminate those who participated in it. I advise Putin not to rush into this. I Suggested that I speak to his commander, Prigozhin,” an unexpectedly candid and detailed comment Tuesday. Belarusian state agency Belta reports.

Lukashenko unexpectedly became the mediator of an amnesty agreement that allowed for the withdrawal of Prigozhin’s Russian militia Wagner forces, who had taken up arms and marched on Moscow. Putin dropped the sedition charges against Prigozhin and allowed him to go into exile in Belarus. Belarus, a historical ally of Russia, claims that Belarus has received Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.

In a surprise move, Lukashenko confirmed on Tuesday that Eurasia Group president Ian Bremer said Prigorzhin was a “walking dead”. Arrival in Belarus by private plane.

Lukashenko described Prigozhin as “totally ecstatic” throughout the negotiations, who “spent about 30 minutes using only expletives” and pointedly demanded to speak to Putin, referring Defense Minister Sergei Saud Igou and Army Commander Valery Gerasimov handed over to Putin – they were a frequent topic of negotiation. His dissatisfaction.

“No one will give you Shoigu or Gerasimov, especially in this situation,” Lukashenko claims to have told Prigozhin. “You know Putin as well as I do. Second, he won’t meet with you, in this case he won’t even talk to you on the phone.”

The Belarusian leader noted that Wagner’s top brass were “extremely dissatisfied” and exerted pressure to foment Prigozhin’s rebellion.

“As far as I know, they had a strong influence on Prigozhin himself. I understood in advance. Yes, he acted like a hero, you know, but he was pressured and influenced by the commander of the shock forces , Lukashenko said: “I have witnessed these deaths. He claimed he still warned Prigozhin that he would be “swept like a bug on the road”.

Prigozhin’s turbulent relationship with the Kremlin has been fractured by persistent accusations of incompetence in Moscow’s military echelon. Tensions erupted a few weeks ago when the Ministry of Defense made it mandatory for private military companies to sign contracts, but Prigorzhin refused to sign.

Putin initially attributed Prigozhin’s advances against Moscow to treason in a televised address, but Russia’s FSB closed a criminal case on Tuesday over the armed mutiny charge.

CNBC was unable to independently verify Lukashenko’s account of events. The Belarusian head of state, a staunch Putin supporter, was reappointed after the 2020 election was widely seen as rigged. Lukashenko’s own regime has been accused of dictatorship and human rights abuses.