Yet, in remarks that brought up issues about the arrangement, Lukashenko said Prigozhin and his contenders were still in Russia. In addition, Lukashenko stated that he would speak with Putin shortly and would stand by his offer to host Wagner, a possibility that has alarmed Nato neighbors. According to the Kremlin, no date has been set. In the vast Independence Palace in Minsk, Lukashenko told reporters, "He is not on the territory of Belarus." He is in Petersburg; it's possible that he traveled to Moscow this morning. Lukashenko stated that Prigozhin was free, but journalists would be mistaken if they believed Russian security services were not closely monitoring him.
Lukashenko stated that some in the Kremlin had desired this, but that it would have tipped Russia into civil war when asked about earlier remarks that suggested Putin wanted to "wipe out" Prigozhin as the mutiny progressed. What comes next for him? Strange things happen in life, but "no, this will not happen if you think Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will 'wipe him out' tomorrow," Lukashenko said.
"The Wagner group fighters are at their camps, their permanent camps, where they have been since they left the front," reads the statement. Molkino, near Krasnodar, is where Wagner's main camp is located in southern Russia.
A question regarding whether the crisis had made Putin weaker was shot down by the leader of Belarus.