Blinken, Ukraine's foreign minister discuss latest developments in Russia

ISTANBUL (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed on the telephone Saturday the latest developments in Russia following an attempted armed rebellion by the Wagner paramilitary group against Moscow.

“U.S. support for Ukraine remains steadfast. The United States will stay in close coordination with Ukraine as the situation develops,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.

Kuleba said: “I exchanged our assessments of events unfolding in Russia. We are watching them very closely."

"Ukraine remains focused on achieving the goals of its counteroffensive in the territory of Ukraine with the steadfast support of our American allies,” he added.

Blinken earlier spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and addressed the recent developments.

Wagner accused Russian forces of attacking its fighters Friday and the group subsequently crossed from Ukraine into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

In response, the Federal Security Service in Russia initiated a criminal case against Wagner for "armed mutiny." Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled Wagner's uprising as an act of "treason."

The group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters would proceed to Moscow, prompting the Kremlin to enhance security measures across various regions of the country.

Prigozhin later claimed his fighters decided to turn back to avoid bloodshed when they were 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Moscow, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he held talks with the Wagner head with Putin's accord, and Prigozhin accepted a de-escalation deal.