EU Leaders Summit to Discuss Wagner Group Mutiny – EU Official

Leaders of the European Union will discuss the Wagner Group mercenaries' coup attempt during the European Council meeting in Brussels on June 29-30.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, an anonymous European senior official informed journalists in Brussels on Monday, prior to the meeting, that leaders will discuss recent events and share intelligence they have on the matter.

"There are various interpretations of what happened. Leaders will have the opportunity to discuss it," the official stated.

The official refrained from drawing any conclusions regarding the events in Russia, noting that it is the role of the European Council meeting to do so.

"What we have seen is of concern. It was radical, and the Council will assess it," explained the European official.

The official also did not rule out the possibility that the coup attempt could be used by Ukrainians as part of a counteroffensive and could further unite EU member states in providing support to Ukraine.

Ukraine will be the main topic on the upcoming summit agenda. The leaders will discuss further support for Ukraine as well as the potential use of frozen Russian assets for the country's reconstruction.

Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, stated prior to the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers' Council on Monday that the failed coup attempt by Wagner Group mercenaries in Russia indicated cracks in Moscow's military capability caused by the war in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg believes that the coup attempt by Wagner Group mercenaries in Russia demonstrates that Moscow made a strategic mistake by starting a war against Ukraine.