US: "Russia's Division, Ukraine's Opportunity"... A Wild Card to End the War?

Biden Talks with Zelensky
"Reaffirms Unwavering Support for Ukraine"
Secretary Blinken: "Russia Crisis Presents Great Opportunity for Ukraine"
Putin's Leadership Shaken... Hopes for Early End to War

As the armed rebellion by the Russian mercenary company Wagner ended within a day, the U.S. government assessed that cracks are appearing in Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed unwavering support during a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyzed that with the rebellion by a close aide and internal control failures dealing a critical blow to President Vladimir Putin's leadership, this incident could become a "Wild Card."

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On the 25th (local time), the White House announced that President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation. The two leaders discussed the situation following the rebellion by the Russian mercenary company Wagner and exchanged views on Ukraine's response to Russian attacks.

The White House stated, "President Biden reaffirmed the United States' unwavering support, including continued security, economic, and humanitarian assistance." President Zelensky emphasized through his website and social media, "We discussed the current situation on the battlefield and shared opinions on the developments in Russia," adding, "Yesterday's incident exposed the vulnerabilities of the Putin regime." He also urged the U.S. to increase pressure on Russia to restore the Ukrainian border.

Earlier, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, led 25,000 mercenaries in a rebellion advancing toward Moscow. Although they advanced to the outskirts of Moscow within a day, they decided to withdraw and seek asylum in Belarus through mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. This incident dealt a significant blow to President Putin's leadership.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also evaluated that cracks are appearing in Russia amid the armed rebellion and that it could be an "opportunity."

Appearing on CNN that day, he said, "We do not have complete information, and it is certainly too early to say exactly how this situation will unfold," adding, "I do not want to speculate whether this will lead to President Putin's resignation. It is an internal Russian issue." He continued, "We have witnessed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic failure in every respect," and added, "Putin should be more concerned about what is happening inside Russia than the war in Ukraine."

He particularly predicted that the recent incident would provide additional advantages to Ukraine. Secretary Blinken told CBS, "I think this situation will create a great opportunity for Ukraine to perform better."

The WSJ analyzed that this rebellion could be a wild card for Ukraine, the U.S., and other Western countries. A wild card refers to a versatile card that can be used freely in poker.

The media stated, "The incident that occurred last weekend on the Ukrainian battlefield could undermine the efficiency of the Russian military and work in favor of Ukraine," adding, "Russia's disorder could collapse the command structure, disrupt control systems, and lower military morale." It also evaluated, "Russia's weakening is more than a wild card for the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)."

Especially if President Putin, who has lost face externally, increases the intensity of offensives against Ukraine, demands for support for Ukraine and NATO membership are expected to intensify.

Expectations for an early end to the Ukraine war are also gradually spreading.

Konrad Muzika, a Polish military expert at Rochan Consulting, said, "The perception of a leadership vacuum could weaken the Russian military's will to continue fighting," adding, "If there is confusion in the regime, soldiers may choose their lives over fighting for the regime."

Roza Valfour, director of the global think tank Carnegie Europe, analyzed, "The experience of unity is succeeding," adding, "Until now, there have been differences among Western governments in their views and approaches toward Russia. But now NATO member countries are moving toward coordination on Russia strategy." She further evaluated, "Europe has reached a new level in understanding and strategic assessment of Russia."

The UK's Sunday Times predicted that the chaos in Russia caused by the Wagner Group's armed rebellion would provide strong momentum to Ukraine. Although Ukraine has not yet achieved a decisive victory in its recent counteroffensive, the temporary retreat of Prigozhin and most of his forces from Ukraine could be beneficial.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.