Wagner Group Will Face Actions For Past Activities: US State Dept

The United States of America said on Tuesday that Washington will soon announce measures against the Wagner group for its past activities in Africa.

The US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular press briefing, "I would say in terms of this - the disposition of Yevgeniy Prigozhin, he's under indictment in the United States. We would like to see him here standing trial for the crimes that he is alleged to have committed."

In response to a question on whether Prigozhin should be declared persona non grata, and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko welcoming the Wagner chief to his land, Miller said, "I will just repeat what I said, which is that the decision by Lukashenko to welcome him to Belarus does show that he continues to take steps not in the interest of his own people but in the interest of the Kremlin."

"I will say, I don't have any United States assessment of the situation. As I said yesterday, and as Secretary Blinken said, on Sunday, everywhere where Wagner goes, death and destruction follow in their wake. So, the decision by Prez Lukashenko to welcome Prigozhin to Belarus, I think is another example of him choosing the interest of Vladimir Putin and choosing the interest of the Kremlin over the Belarusian people," said Miller.

He also mentioned that the US will continue to support Ukraine and its military to repel the Russian troops.

"In terms of what's next, on this, to be continued US support for Ukraine and continued US support for the Ukrainian military's work to repel Russian troops, whether they be Ministry of Defense troops, or whether they be Wagner forces, or whether they be whatever the next iteration, if any, of Wagner forces, look like to repel those forces from Ukraine's borders."

"And just as you will see actions from us in the very near future to hold Wagner accountable, you will see continued actions from us in the very near future to continue to supply the Ukrainian military with the equipment, the military equipment that it needs, to press their case on the battlefield," he said during the State Department briefing on Tuesday.

It may be noted that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin reached Belarus, President Alexandr Lukashenko announced on Tuesday, reported CNN.

Also Read: Putin's Mercenary Fighters Turn Against Him | What is the Wagner Group?