“Go ahead, what do I have to do with this?”
On June 5, Putin said at a forum in St. Petersburg that one of the Russian businessmen traveled to Kyiv and met with Zelensky.
“Three weeks ago, one of the representatives of our business circles called me and asked a question… In principle, I have known the person for a very long time, we do not have such close contacts, but I trust him, he is a decent person. He called and said: “Vladimir Vladimirovich, I am invited to Kyiv.” I said: “Well, please, go. “What do I have to do with this?” “Well, I definitely wanted to tell you about this, because we will probably talk about some issues related to relations between the two countries,” Putin asserted.
He also stressed that the visit was unofficial. Putin allegedly could not “send him in any capacity, this should be handled by the relevant departments.”
The meeting took place, according to Putin, on May 21. He complained that the next day the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked Starobelsk.
According to him, upon his return, this businessman conveyed, “except for all the fluff,” Zelensky’s request for a meeting – the Kremlin head traditionally stated that he allegedly “never refused it,” but “does not yet see the point.”
Putin did not name the “decent person” and businessman.
Masks are off
The next day, people's deputy from European Solidarity Aleksey Goncharenko said that we were talking about Roman Abramovich. The Financial Times wrote about the same thing – according to the publication, Zelensky, through Abramovich, conveyed to Putin a proposal for personal negotiations.
On June 7, Zelensky confirmed that he had met with Abramovich.
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“He came to Kyiv. He said that he brought a message for me personally and wants me to convey a message to Putin… He made it clear to me that they are ready, that they want to understand what we want to do,” the president said.
According to him, Abramovich asked to do this quietly, without any publicity (but then Putin spoke publicly about the meeting). Zelensky added that this is always the case with Russians: they ask that something not be disclosed, but the next day others find out about it.
The President noted that Abramovich wanted to understand what Kyiv was ready for in relation to peace negotiations. However, Zelensky, according to him, emphasized that Donbass will not yield to Russia.
“I said that we will not leave, that we will not leave our territory. We will not give you victory this way,” the president said.
According to him, compromises were also discussed. Zelensky said that all compromises are only after the ceasefire, and that the ceasefire is the biggest compromise on the Ukrainian side.
He also again conveyed to Putin that he was ready to meet at any time and in any country except Russia and Belarus, alone or with the participation of US President Donald Trump and the Europeans.
According to FT sources among senior Ukrainian officials, the message Zelensky sent to Putin through Abramovich was similar to his open letter published later – but “in a less hostile tone.”
Who sent Abramovich to Ukraine?
According to Putin, Abramovich was “invited to Kyiv” – it was implied that the Ukrainian side invited him, although Putin did not say this directly. It is also unclear from whom he brought the message to Zelensky that “they are ready.”
FT sources said that Zelensky called Abramovich to Kyiv. According to sources, Ukraine “wanted to demonstrate its readiness for direct peace negotiations with Russia” as US attention turned to the conflict in the Middle East.
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At the same time, Suspilne writes that the initiator of the meeting was the Russian side. The media cites a source in Ukrainian government circles. According to the interlocutor, Russia wanted to find out Ukraine’s conditions regarding the end of the war. Zelensky conveyed these conditions to Abramovich (emphasizing that Ukraine will not leave Donbass) and confirmed his readiness for direct negotiations with Putin.
A version that explains some of the inconsistencies was voiced by Russian sociologist Igor Eidman, who lives in Germany.
“Abramovich’s trip to Zelensky is the last attempt by the Russian elite to convince Putin to stop the war. Abramovich was not sent to Zelensky by Putin, who simply reluctantly allowed him this visit. Abramovich acted in negotiations with Zelensky as a representative of the interests of most of the Russian ruling elite and the oligarchy. He was supposed to receive from the Ukrainian president some framework conditions for a future peace agreement that the Russian authorities would be guided by. And then he tried to convince Putin to negotiate and freeze this war,” the sociologist suggests.
In his opinion, after Putin refused negotiations, Russian elites will consider Zelensky’s conditions as the basis for ending the war – but “after Putin.” And, Eidman does not rule out, they will hasten his demise.
Context
Abramovich has acted as a mediator in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since the first weeks of the war in 2022. Advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, called him “a very effective mediator between delegations.” The Russian billionaire “entered the process through the international Jewish community,” said David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction and member of the Ukrainian delegation.
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The oligarch was one of the mediators at the negotiations in Istanbul in March of the same year, although they failed after Ukraine learned about the crimes of the occupiers in the Kyiv region. He also participated in negotiations on prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children.
While Abramovich's role has become less prominent since Russia began talks with Ukraine through the US last year, he remains involved in prisoner exchanges and other bilateral talks with Ukraine, “including on aspects of the stalled US-led peace plan”, FT sources said.
“They need him because he's the only Russian they tolerate. He gets along with everyone,” one source said.
Abramovich’s visit did not produce visible results – Russia continues the war, and Putin still does not want to meet with Zelensky. But perhaps this meeting signals a willingness to step up hidden, behind-the-scenes negotiations between states.
