Worried that sanctions may "assist" Putin, US media reports: US will postpone new sanctions against "Wagner" US | News | Sanctions
Global Times reporter Zhang Xiaoya reported that the Wall Street Journal reported on the 24th local time, citing sources familiar with the situation, that the United States will postpone the implementation of new sanctions against the Russian private military group Wagner, fearing that the new sanctions may inadvertently "assist" Russian President Putin.
The Wagner Group's office in Moscow is illustrated by a report from The Wall Street Journal in the United States
The Wall Street Journal said that Washington had imposed sanctions on "Wagner" because the group was suspected of participating in false propaganda activities, including during the 2016 US presidential election and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, the Biden government also plans to increase its efforts to crack down on its business activities.
The report cites the latest news from insiders that the US State Department originally planned to announce new sanctions on Wagner's gold business in Africa on Tuesday, including a mining business in the Central African Republic.
"Washington has a strategy to target, isolate, and weaken Wagner's development in Africa," said Cameron Hudson, former Chief of Staff of the United States' Special Envoy for Sudan. "But continuing this approach now may put Washington in a difficult position to assist Putin."
![Worried that sanctions may "assist" Putin, US media reports: US will postpone new sanctions against "Wagner" US | News | Sanctions](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/7c32f80f4a587ea83434297f22ae8d9a.jpg)
"Washington doesn't want to appear biased in this matter," said a person familiar with the situation.
The report stated that the US State Department refused to comment on this. A senior government official stated that the US Treasury Department did not cancel the planned sanctions due to the Wagner incident in Russia.
On the 23rd, Prigoren, founder of the Russian private military group Wagner, claimed on social media that some of the organization's campsites were "attacked by Russian military" and pointed the finger directly at the Russian military leadership. The Russian side subsequently announced that Wagner incited armed rebellion. Putin's speech to the whole country on the 24th lasted for 5 minutes and 30 seconds, stating that Russia is engaged in an arduous struggle for its own future and is confronting the entire Western military, economic, and information machinery. This battle determines the fate of Russia and requires the unity of all forces. Therefore, any act of division and unity is a "stab in the back" of the country and people.
On the same day, the President of Belarus stated that he would hold talks with Prime Minister Prigorn under Putin's coordination. It is reported that the talks lasted for a day and both sides reached an agreement to stop the bloodshed on Russian territory. According to the official account of Belarusian President Lukashenko, Prigoren accepted his suggestion to stop the actions of Wagner armed personnel on Russian territory and take further measures to ease tensions. Subsequently, Prigoren announced that the Wagner group convoy had stopped moving and turned back to the camp. According to the latest report from TASS, the Wagner troops withdrew from Rostov, the capital of Rostov Oblast, on the Don River, from the evening of the 24th to the early morning of the 25th and went to their field camp.