"What has happened during this weekend shows that the war against Ukraine is cracking Russian power and affecting its political system," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.
"We are certainly following closely what's happening, but it's now the moment to continue supporting Ukraine more than ever, that's what we will do," he said.
"Certainly it's not a good thing to see that a nuclear power like Russia can go into a phase of instability. It's also something that has to be taken into account," Borrell said.
"The most important conclusion is that the war against Ukraine launched by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, and the monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster, is biting him."
"The monster is acting against its creator, the political system is showing the fragilities and the military power is cracking," Borrell said.
- 'Fault lines' -
EU foreign ministers were scrambling to digest the fallout from the uprising at their regular meeting in Luxembourg.
Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the events were "a domestic power struggle in Russia, and we are not getting involved".
"We see the devastating consequences of the Russian war of aggression, also on the power system of Putin," she said.
"We see that more and more Russia's leadership is striking back at itself."
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the tensions showed the "fractures and fault lines" in the Russian system.
But she said the EU was remaining "cautious" and did not want to be seen to interfere.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged the West not to be "distracted" and to focus on bolstering support for Ukraine.
"We don't need to think about changing the regime in Russia and the need to plan it; Russians are completely capable of doing that on their own," he said.
The foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg formally approved adding another 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion) to a fund used to arm Ukraine.
But Hungary is currently blocking the allocation of an additional 500 million euros from the joint fund specifically to cover the costs of weapons sent to Kyiv.
Since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022, the EU's 27 nations have already committed 3.6 billion euros from the shared European Peace facility to equip Ukraine's military.
The bloc has also been training thousands of Ukrainian troops for the fight against Moscow's forces.
Borrell said that the target of training 30,000 Ukrainian troops this year would be reached well ahead of schedule, and that the programme would be extended.
Wagner mutiny shows invasion was 'strategic mistake': NATO chief
Vilnius (AFP) June 26, 2023 -
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said the weekend mutiny by mercenary troops in Russia showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine was a "mistake".
"We are monitoring the situation in Russia. The events over the weekend are an internal Russian matter, and yet another demonstration of the big strategic mistake that President Putin made with his illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters.
He spoke while on a visit to Lithuania -- which will host next month's NATO summit -- a couple of days after the Wagner mercenary group's aborted revolt against the Kremlin.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who was also in Lithuania on Monday, said the mutiny showed that Russia is an "unstable and unpredictable state".
After Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin called off his troops' advance on Saturday, Moscow said he would leave Russia for Belarus and would not face charges.
"We are also monitoring the situation in Belarus," Stoltenberg said, after Russia sent nuclear ammunition there earlier this month.
"We condemn Russia's announcement about deploying nuclear weapons. This is reckless and irresponsible," Stoltenberg added.
"We don't see any indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons but NATO remains vigilant."
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also appeared at the press conference in Vilnius alongside Stoltenberg.
"The events of the past weekend in Russia demonstrated the instability of the Kremlin regime. Similar or even bigger challenges can be expected in the future," he told reporters.
He said the Wagner mutiny could affect the security of the region.
"The establishment of the Wagner group in Belarus may become an additional factor," he added.
Russian defence minister makes first appearance on TV since Wagner crisis
Moscow (AFP) June 26, 2023 -
Russian state television on Monday broadcast footage of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspecting Russian troops, in his first public appearance since a failed mutiny by Wagner forces.
Shoigu -- the target of fierce criticism by the mercenary group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin -- went to a command post for Russian forces in Ukraine and held a meeting there with the leader of one of the units, according to images shown by the broadcaster.
During the meeting, the minister highlighted "great efficiency in the detection and destruction" of Ukraine's weapons systems and soldiers, the ministry of defence said in a press release.
The footage shows Shoigu listening to a report being presented on the area's military situation, studying maps and taking a helicopter ride to inspect Russian positions.
Wagner mercenaries headed back to their base on Sunday after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to allow Prigozhin to avoid treason charges and accept exile in neighbouring Belarus.
The agreement brought an end to an extraordinary crisis after the private army, led by Putin's former close ally, tried to storm Moscow.
Prigozhin has repeatedly blamed Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths.
Prigozhin was last seen late Saturday in an SUV leaving Rostov-on-Don, where his fighters had seized a military headquarters, to the cheers of some local people.
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