Roman Abramovich would have been in Kyiv for a meeting with Zelenski. What Putin says about the Russian oligarch's visit
New information about indirect contacts between Kiev and the Kremlin has sparked controversy after Russian President Vladimir Putin said a Russian oligarch visited the Ukrainian capital in May to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich/PHOTO: EPA/EFE
According to Ukrainian MP Oleksii Goncearenko, the person the Kremlin leader was referring to is Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, known for his unofficial role as a mediator in the early stages of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The statement was made by Putin on June 5 and was reported by the independent Russian publication Meduza. The Russian leader claimed that a Russian businessman, whose name he did not disclose, traveled to Kiev on May 21 for talks with Ukrainian authorities.
Shortly after the information appeared, Goncearenko stated that it was Abramovici and that the meeting with Zelenskii would have taken place exactly on the day mentioned by Putin.
The Ukrainian parliamentarian did not provide details on the content of the talks, but claimed that the oligarch would have played the role of an intermediary and would have passed a message from the Ukrainian leader to the Kremlin.
Until now, the Kyiv administration has neither confirmed nor denied the information regarding a possible visit of Abramovich to the capital of Ukraine.
What Putin said about the alleged meeting
According to the version presented by the Russian president, one day after the businessman's visit, Ukraine would have launched an attack on a home in the Luhansk region, an area under the control of Russian forces, which Moscow qualifies as “terrorist”.
Putin said he would later ask the businessman what the attack meant and if there was any explanation from Kiev.
According to the Russian leader's account, the oligarch would have replied that he had no explanation, although he would have continued to receive phone calls from Ukraine. Putin claimed that after that moment there was no further contact between him and the businessman.
Abramovici, a key character behind the scenes of the negotiations
Roman Abramovich's name has been repeatedly associated with mediation efforts between Moscow and Kiev since the first weeks of the Russian invasion.
In March 2022, several Western publications reported that Putin would have given his consent for the billionaire's involvement in the peace negotiations.
At the same time, the American publication The Wall Street Journal wrote that Zelenski would have personally asked the then American president, Joe Biden, not to impose sanctions against Abramovich, considering that he could play a useful role in the dialogue between the two sides.
Later, information emerged that the businessman had delivered a handwritten message from Zelensky to the Kremlin regarding the terms of a possible peace agreement.
Suspected poisoning during negotiations
Abramovici was also involved in a controversial episode that attracted the attention of the international community.
Investigations by Bellingcat indicated that several participants in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations may have exhibited symptoms consistent with possible exposure to toxic substances. The Russian billionaire would have been among those affected.
The information was never officially confirmed, but the case fueled much speculation about power struggles surrounding the negotiation process.
Present at the grain export agreement
In the summer of 2022, Abramovich was spotted in Istanbul, where he attended the signing ceremony of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
The international press later reported that the businessman also had a role in the negotiations for the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
Sanctioned by Ukraine, but with a special clause
In October 2022, Ukrainian authorities included Abramovich's name on the list of sanctioned persons.
However, the official documents contain an unusual mention: the actual application of the sanctions was to be delayed until the completion of the procedures regarding the exchange of prisoners and the repatriation of the bodies of the fallen soldiers.
This exception fueled speculation that the businessman continued to play a discreet role in unofficial communication channels between Kiev and Moscow.
For now, the information regarding Abramovich's alleged visit to Kiev remains officially unconfirmed. However, the reappearance of his name in the context of relations between Ukraine and Russia suggests that the oligarch may continue to be one of the few interlocutors accepted, at least informally, by both camps.
