Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the rebellion in Russia “was painful to watch,” in his first comments since the short-lived mutiny by Wagner mercenaries over the weekend.
Russia’s security service closed a criminal investigation into Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his group after President Vladimir Putin pledged to respect a deal brokered by Lukashenko and allow them to travel to neighboring Belarus.
A business jet belonging to Prigozhin landed in Belarus, according to a report by a monitoring group, but it was not immediately clear who was on board. Preparations have begun to transfer heavy weaponry from Wagner to units of the Russian army, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said, according to Interfax.
Latest Coverage
- Russia Drops Mutiny Case Against Prigozhin as Putin Honors Deal
- ECB Urges Banks to Speed Up Plans to Exit or Shrink Russia Units
- Putin Blasts Wagner ‘Traitors’ as Prigozhin Defends Revolt
- Xi’s Bet on Putin Looks Even More Risky After Russian Mutiny
- Russian Fuel Exports Ramp Up Again as Refineries Complete Work
All times CET:
Pope Francis Sends Peace Envoy to Moscow (12:30 p.m.)
Pope Francis is sending an envoy to Moscow in an effort to foster what the Vatican called “gestures of humanity” that could eventually help end Russia’s war on Ukraine. Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi will visit the Russian capital on Wednesday and Thursday and Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that he would meet with the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church and Russian government officials.
“The primary purpose of the initiative is to encourage gestures of humanity, that may contribute to promoting a solution to the tragic current situation, and to find ways to reach a just peace,” according to a Vatican statement.
Orban Plays Down Mutiny Impact (11:45 a.m.)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the Wagner mutiny won’t have any impact on the course of the war and dismissed the idea that Putin has been weakened.
“If someone speculates that Putin might fail or be replaced, then they do not understand the Russian people and Russian power structures,” Orban was quoted as saying by Germany’s Bild newspaper in an interview. “The structures in Russia are very stable,” he added. “They are based on the army, the secret service, the police, so it is a different kind of country, it is a military-oriented country.”
ECB Urges Banks to Speed Up Russia Exit (11:45 a.m.)
The European Central Bank is pushing lenders from the region that still have operations in Russia to accelerate plans to shrink or exit units there.
The ECB recently “urged these banks to speed-up their downsizing and exit strategies by adopting clear road maps” and regularly reporting on progress to their management bodies and the watchdog, according to Andrea Enria, who leads the ECB’s Supervisory Board.
Poland’s Orlen Replaces Russian Oil (11:30 a.m.)
PKN Orlen SA signed an oil delivery deal with BP Plc four months after Russian supplies via the Druzhba pipeline to its Polish refinery were unexpectedly halted.
Poland’s sole refiner will buy as much as 6 million tons of oil from BP over one year under the contract, it said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. The new agreement will supplement its current long-term deals with Saudi Aramco, which supplies just under 50% of the company’s needs since last year.
Events in Russia ‘Painful to Watch’: Lukashenko (9:50 a.m.)
Lukashenko said the mutiny had been painful to watch, state-owned Belta news service reported him as saying at a ceremony where he was flanked by top military officials. There was no sign of Prigozhin in photographs provided by Belta.
Lukashenko struck a somber note in his speech, saying there were “no heroes” in the situation around the mutiny in Russia. “We let the situation out of hand,” he said, meaning himself, Putin and Prigozhin.
Prigozhin Jet Lands in Belarus: Report (8:22 a.m.)
Prigozhin’s business jet landed at the military airbase Machulishchi near Minsk, according to the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun, which cited air traffic data. It was not immediately clear if Prigozhin himself was on board, the group said.
Oil Edges Higher After Choppy Session (7:06 a.m.)
Oil edged higher on Tuesday after a choppy session following the short-lived armed uprising in Russia, a major OPEC+ producer.
West Texas Intermediate futures climbed toward $70 a barrel after closing 0.3% higher on Monday.
Russia Conducts Flight Exercises Over Baltic (5:15 a.m.)
Tactical flight exercises of warplanes including the Su-27 fighter are being held over the Baltic Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The exercises are aimed at testing the readiness of flight crews to conduct special tasks and the capabilities of aviation equipment, the ministry added.
--With assistance from Patrick Donahue, Michael Winfrey and Alessandro Speciale.
