A 2018 interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin resurfaced Wednesday after the sudden death of Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, where Putin said he could not ‘forgive’ betrayal.
Prigozhin’s private plane crashed on Wednesday afternoon, and it was confirmed shortly after he was one of ten people on the plane, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Russian Mercenary Leader Who Attempted Coup Listed As Passenger On Crashed Plane: REPORT)
Putin and Prigozhin came to an agreement brokered by Belarus that led to Prigozhin calling off his ‘March for Justice’ towards Moscow, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Journalist: “Are you able to forgive?”
Putin: “Yes, but not everything.”
Journalist: “What is impossible to forgive?”
Putin: “Betrayal”pic.twitter.com/6zFmp4CQ0l— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) August 23, 2023
CIA Director William Burns said in July he would be ‘surprised’ if Putin doesn’t retaliate against Prigozhin for his June coup attempt, according to Business Insider.
“Putin is someone who generally thinks that revenge is a dish best served cold,” Burns said at a security conference in July. “In my experience, Putin is the ultimate apostle of payback, so I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution for this.”
President Biden seemed to indicate Putin could be behind the crash, saying, “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind.” However, Biden stopped short of blaming him, saying he ‘did not know enough’ to give a definitive answer.