Putin rejects reports on Russian presence in Mali as Macron evades row over Wagner group

After the six-hour-long discussion between Russia and France, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during a press conference that his country has nothing to do with Russia-based businesses working in Mali. These statements came after Putin spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. The Russian president also noted that he has addressed and discussed the situation in Mali with Macron, who visited the nation in order to defuse tensions between Russia and Ukraine, ANI reported.  

At the conference, Putin said indicating Macron, “Mr. President knows our position. The Russian state has nothing to do with those companies that operate in Mali. As far as we know, the Mali leadership has not made any comments about the commercial activities of these companies," as per ANI.  

Russian President Putin went on to say, “There are commercial interests of our companies there, they negotiate with the local leadership.” He even asserted that the administration would look into the matter more closely.  

Russia's military involvement in many African nations has been consistently denied by Moscow

Furthermore, with regard to the Wagner Group, which is a private military company, Putin stated ‘with complete responsibility’ that the Russian government has no involvement in this. Later, he added, “They are negotiating, and the local authorities invite them at the state level, thank them for the work done, and so on," ANI reported.  

In addition to this, Russia's military involvement in numerous African nations has been consistently denied by Moscow. The Kremlin specifically said that no Russian military forces personnel were deployed on Mali's soil. Russia has also claimed on several occasions that the country's government has no involvement in the activities of private security firms. 

Meanwhile, during the conference, Vladimir Putin has stated that NATO countries had continued to push modern types of weapons into Ukraine. He also claimed that the NATO countries have also given considerable financial resources for the modernisation of the Ukrainian army. Putin said he has discussed these issues with Macron during their discussions.  

Following this, Putin expressed his hope that Macron would address and talk about these issues during his Ukraine visit to ensure peace and stability in Europe as part of the Ukrainian settlement. He also noted that some of Macron's thoughts and initiatives might be used as a basis for future actions in Ukraine. 

(Image: AP)