UPDATE - EU says Wagner’s action 'internal issue' of Russia

UPDATED WITH REMARKS BY EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The EU on Saturday said Wagner's actions in Russia are the country's "internal issue."

Stressing that the bloc is closely watching the situation in Russia as it unfolds, EU Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter: “This is clearly an internal Russian issue.”

He said he has been in touch with European leaders and G7 partners.

Michel added that the EU’s support for Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains unwavering.

In a related development, Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, tweeted that he had phone calls with G7 foreign ministers in which the situation in Russia was discussed.

"Ahead of Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, I am coordinating inside the European Union and have activated the crisis response centre," he said, adding that the union's support to Ukraine continues unabated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of treason in a national address on Saturday, after the paramilitary fighters crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia, entering the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking his fighters, a claim Moscow denies.

Prigozhin has, in recent months, repeatedly accused the Russian Defense Ministry and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu of not supplying sufficient arms to the paramilitary group.

Wagner has been fighting alongside the regular Russian army in Ukraine.​​​​​​​