Biden not surprised by report on Wagner chief's death

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden said he was not surprised by reports that Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash, adding that not much happens in the country behind President Vladimir Putin's back, Reuters reported.

The White House said Biden was briefed on the crash and told reporters he did not know for sure what had happened. "But I'm not surprised," Biden said.

"There's not much that happens in Russia that Putin isn't behind, but I don't know enough to know the answer," the US President said.

Biden and CIA Director Williams Burns spoke separately last month about the potential danger to Prigozhin after his actions, albeit somewhat jokingly.

"If I were him, I'd watch what I ate. I'd watch my menu," Biden said during a press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in July.

"But jokes aside... I don't think any of us know for sure what Prigozhin's future in Russia is," Biden said at the time.

Speaking a week later, CIA Director Burns said he thought "Putin is someone who
generally thinks revenge is a dish best served cold... If I were Prigozhin,
I wouldn't fire my food taster."