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The fallout from Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aborted mutiny and exile to Belarus has rattled nerves in the Baltic countries and is expected to broaden NATO’s agenda beyond Ukraine during talks at its annual summit later in July. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUS NATO Wagner
HEADLINE: Wagner Rattles Baltic Nerves, Broadens NATO Summit Agenda Beyond Ukraine
TEASER: Renewed urgency for alliance’s eastern flank fortification, increased defense spending
PUBLISHED: 06/29/2023 at 7:40p
BYLINE: Patsy Widakuswara
CONTRIBUTOR: Yuliya Savchenko, Mykhailo Komadovsky
DATELINE: Washington VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: newhouse, MAS
VIDEO SOURCES: AP, AFP, Reuters
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO X_
TRT: 1:56
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES: Radio track included. There is a web))
[[INTRO:]] The fallout from Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aborted mutiny and exile to Belarus has rattled nerves in the Baltic countries and is expected to broaden NATO’s agenda beyond Ukraine during talks at its annual summit later in July. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.]]
((NARRATOR))
It’s still unclear how many Wagner soldiers will accompany Yevgeny Prigozhin to Belarus after the mercenary army chief’s attempted mutiny against Moscow. But the thought of them setting up camp just a few hours away is rattling nerves in Baltic countries.
((Radio: Lithuanian President. Gitanas Nausėda))
((Gitanas Nausėda, Lithuanian President))
“If Wagner deploys its serial killers in Belarus, all neighboring countries face even greater danger of instability. Under such circumstances, deterrence and forward defense is a top priority.”
((NARRATOR))
In July, Lithuania will host the NATO summit in its capital Vilnius,
((NARRATOR))
just 35 km from the border of Prigozhin’s new home base,
((NARRATOR))
highlighting the urgency to fortify the alliance’s eastern flank. Germany immediately announced it will permanently station 4000 troops in Lithuania.
((President Joe Biden))
“He's losing the war at home. And he has become a bit of a pariah around the world.”
((NARRATOR))
President Joe Biden said Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been weakened by his clash with Prigozhin,
((NARRATOR))
making the broader threat posed by Russia and its ally Belarus a key agenda in Vilnius.
((Radio: Kristine Berzina, Co-leader of Russia Transatlantic Initiative at the German Marshall Funds, via Skype))
((Kristine Berzina, German Marshall Fund))
“What happens to the nuclear arsenal should Russia be unstable? What happens if you have someone who is more warmongering than Putin coming to power in Russia, and perhaps less predictable? These are questions for NATO itself to answer.”
((NARRATOR))
NATO leaders must also decide what security guarantees to provide to Kyiv.
((Radio: NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg))
((Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General))
“We will also agree a multi-year program to help Ukraine move towards NATO, to be fully interoperable with NATO.”
((NARRATOR))
Another key agenda, increasing defense spending.
((NARRATOR))
Only seven of NATO’s 30 member states in 2022 met the target of spending 2% of their GDP on defense.
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Washington.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D.C.
Embargo DateJune 29, 2023 22:25 EDT
Byline
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English