Jerusalem, 25 June, 2023 (TPS) — Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, canceled a trip to Israel and Jordan on Saturday “due to the situation in Russia,” a spokesman said.
He was due to hold talks with his Israeli counterpart, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. Discussions were widely expected to address Iran.
The Kremlin said on Saturday that a deal was reached to end the armed insurrection by thousands of Wagner Group fighters led by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, who agreed to head to neighboring Belarus if no charges were lodged by Moscow.
During the 36-hour rebellion, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power appeared to be under serious threat.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it is closely following developments in Russia and is in regular contact the Israeli embassy in Moscow and Consulate General in St. Petersburg.
Between 60,000-70,000 Israeli nationals currently estimated to be in Russia. Approximately 500,000 Jews in Russia qualify to immigrate to Israel.
Milley, who will end his term as the U.S. military’s top commander in the fall, was last in Israel in March, where he met with his counterpart, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, also cancelled a trip to Denmark on Saturday, where he was to attend a conference on Ukraine. He instead accompanied US President Joe Biden to Camp David.
