President Vladimir Putin has held Kremlin talks with Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and his commanders to discuss the armed mutiny Wagner attempted to mount against the army's top brass.
The meeting was first reported by French newspaper Liberation, which said Prigozhin had met Putin and the head of the National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, and SVR Foreign Intelligence boss Sergei Naryshkin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the private Wagner mercenary group, on June 29, just five days after the group had marched to within 200 kilometers (120 miles) of Moscow in a short-lived mutiny.
Peskov said in a meeting with journalists on July 10 that the meeting was part of a three-hour gathering of 35 people, which included unit commanders from Wagner, who conveyed to the Russian leader that they would continue to fight for him in the war against Ukraine.
Peskov did not say where Prigozhin currently is, nor did he give any further details on the meeting, which was first reported by French newspaper Liberation.
"The only thing we can say is that the president gave his assessment of the company's performance on the front line during the special military operation, and also gave his assessment of the June 24 events. Putin listened to the commanders' explanations and offered options for their employment and combat role," Peskov added.
