MOSCOW – Russia has nothing to do with companies that operate in Mali, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Putin on Monday held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
At a press conference following the talks, Putin said he had discussed the situation in Mali with 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,” the Russian president said.
“The Russian state has nothing to do with this. There are commercial interests of our companies there, they negotiate with the local leadership. We will take a closer look at this, but we have nothing to do with this,” Putin said.
“Regarding (the) Wagner (private military company). I said that the Russian state has nothing to do with this. I am saying it with complete responsibility. They are negotiating, and the local authorities invite them at the state level, thank them for the work done, and so on,” the Russian leader said.
The talks between the presidents of Russia and France in Moscow lasted more than 5 hours. Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations of Russia’s military presence in various African countries. In particular, the Kremlin stated that there were no representatives of the Russian armed forces on the territory of Mali. Russia has also repeatedly stated that the country’s authorities have nothing to do with the work of private security companies.
