Abramovich – who also attended peace talks in Istanbul, although Russian officials said he was not part of the official delegation – fell ill after meetings in early March, as did members of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation. They came on suspicion of being poisoned, one of Abramovich’s assistants He said Monday.
Tuesday talks Did not result in any peace agreementBut Ukrainian negotiators outlined some proposals and Moscow said they would significantly reduce military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, the colleague said that some suspected a “third party” of the alleged poisoning, indicating that it was not approved by the Russian government.
Abramovich An aide said the owner of British football club Chelsea – who is facing sanctions in Europe over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has since placed his club in west London. for sale – He recovered and was “fine”, now he is focused on the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.
Russia has denied that Abramovich was poisoned and that it had any connection to the accident. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that such allegations were “part of the information war,” he said. “These reports are certainly not true.”
Investigative Collaboration Bellingcat and the The Wall Street Journal Report suspected poisoning. Abramovich said And two Ukrainian peace negotiators experienced “red eyes, persistent painful tearing, and peeling in their faces and hands,” symptoms consistent with chemical weapons poisoning, after the March 3 meeting.
Last month, a spokesman for Abramovich confirmed that Ukraine had contacted Abramovich to help facilitate peace talks with Moscow. However, the extent of his role in those negotiations remains unclear.
Peskov said Tuesday that “Abramovich is involved in ensuring certain contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian sides. He is not an official member of the delegation.” The Kremlin spokesman said the oligarchy was present “from our side”.
United State Refuse to target Abramovich with imposing sanctions after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it could be helpful in securing a peace deal, an official familiar with the matter previously told The Washington Post.
Ukraine’s Kuleba told local media on Monday that Kyiv’s goal is – at best – a “sustainable” ceasefire. Meanwhile, his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow should “stop indulging” in Kyiv.
Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its 34th day on Tuesday with the number of dead go up On both sides, the Ukrainian cities persisted heavily bombed.
Nearly 4 million people have fled Ukraine since the conflict began, the vast majority of them to neighboring Poland, according to To the latest United Nations data, causing the largest refugee crisis in Europe.
Annabelle Timsit and Miriam Berger contributed to this report.
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