Zelensky Says Abramovich Offered to Carry Message to Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich met him in Kyiv and offered to take a message to the Kremlin about peace prospects.

In an interview with Sky News, Zelensky said Abramovich had come to Kyiv to ask what Ukraine would be prepared to do. The Ukrainian leader told him that Kyiv would not abandon Donbas or “give victory” to Russia by surrendering territory.

The remarks were Zelensky’s first public acknowledgement that Abramovich had traveled to Kyiv and was involved to some extent in contacts between Kyiv and Moscow. The former Chelsea Football Club owner played an important role in early peace talks in Istanbul after Russia’s 2022 invasion and in the Black Sea grain export deal.

Zelensky also ruled out any meeting with Putin in Russia or Belarus. He said he could accept a halt to fighting along the current front lines as the fastest way to move talks into a diplomatic setting, but stressed that such a step would not mean giving up territory.

(reuters, max)