Putin spokesman confirms president met with Prigozhin after rebellion

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the president met with Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin after the latter’s failed mutiny, following similar reports Friday from the French newspaper Liberation.

According to Liberation, Prigozhin was summoned to the Kremlin on July 1 and met there with Putin, Russian National Guard Director Viktor Zolotov, and Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin. The newspaper said he was accompanied by Wagner Group commanders.

Peskov confirmed Monday that Prigozhin and Wagner Group commanders met with the president but said it occurred on June 29. He said the meeting lasted nearly three hours and included 35 people.

“Putin listened to the commanders’ explanations [for the events of June 24] and proposed future options for their employment and combat deployment,” Peskov said, according to state media. “The commanders gave their version of what occurred, emphasizing that they are committed supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the supreme commander, and expressing that they are ready to continue fighting for the motherland.”