Roman Abramovich: What role does he play in the peace negotiations?

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators may have been the target of a poison attack. The “Wall Street Journal” reported on Monday, citing informed circles. Abramovich and the Ukrainians showed “symptoms of suspected poisoning” after a meeting in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv earlier this month, the report said. A source familiar with the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow confirmed this to the AFP news agency.

The three men suffered from red eyes, painful tears and peeling skin on their faces and hands. The symptoms would then have decreased again. “Unfortunately, that actually happened,” the informed source told AFP.

Doubts about poison attack

According to the Wall Street Journal, sources suspect hardliners in Moscow to be behind the incident. They wanted to sabotage talks between Russia and Ukraine about an end to the Ukraine war.

There are now doubts as to whether a poison attack actually took place. The Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak expressly did not confirm the incident. “All members of the negotiating team are working as usual today,” he said. “There is a lot of speculation about the information in the media and various conspiracy theories.” It is better to “only follow the official information”.

Rustem Umyerow, who was mentioned as a victim in “WSJ”, wrote on Facebook in the morning that everything was fine with him. “I’m fine. This is my answer to all the gossip that’s spreading. Please don’t trust any unverified information. We too have an information war going on.” There are also no public statements by the 55-year-old Abramovich about a possible poison attack.

Reports: Roman Abramovich in contact with Vladimir Putin

US representatives also expressed doubts about the poisoning theory. Intelligence information indicated with a high degree of probability that it was due to environmental influences, i.e. not poisoning. You can see more about this in the video here:

But another question that arises from the story is: What is billionaire Abramovich actually doing in the negotiations? According to media reports, he has traveled back and forth between the two countries and other places where negotiations were held several times in the past few weeks.

The billionaire was sanctioned by the EU, Canada and Great Britain after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but not by the USA. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had asked US President Joe Biden to exempt the oligarch, known as the owner of English football club Chelsea, from sanctions because he could play an important role as a mediator. Like the UK broadcaster Sky News reported that the Ukrainian side contacted Abramovich to participate in the negotiations.

Loud “Financial Times” Russian President Vladimir Putin approved Abramovich’s role as a mediator. Putin’s blessing indicates that Abramovich is said to have asked Putin directly for permission. This contradicts long-standing claims that there are no close ties between the two. Nevertheless, the oligarch is considered a Putin confidant.

Abramovich is said to have met Gerhard Schröder

The British Newspaper “The Times” The oligarch allegedly handed Putin a handwritten note from his counterpart Zelenskyy, outlining the terms Ukraine would consider for an end to the war. Putin’s first response is said to have been: “Tell him I’ll beat her up.”

David Arakhamia, leader of Zelenskyy’s party in parliament and a member of Ukraine’s negotiating team in the talks with Russia, told the Financial Times that he met Abramovich in Gomel, Belarus, when the first round of talks was taking place there. “I can confirm that Mr. Abramovich is heavily involved in peace talks.” The billionaire came into the process through the international Jewish community. Abramovich is of Jewish descent and an Israeli citizen.

The 55-year-old should focus on humanitarian efforts and meetings with foreign mediators, the FT continues. According to the report, he is also said to have met former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Moscow. Also the news agency Reuters reported about it.

Does Abramovich want to prevent sanctions?

The Kremlin confirmed Thursday that Abramovich was involved in the negotiations, Reuters reported. He is said to have played an “early role” in the talks. “He participated in the early stages,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Now negotiations are underway between the two teams, the Russians and the Ukrainians.”

But what is behind Abramovich’s negotiating role? According to the Financial Times, some speculate that this could be an attempt to prevent or reduce Western sanctions against him.

Another reason could be Abramovich’s background: Like them “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” reported, Abramovich’s efforts are said to be a response to the suffering in Ukraine. His mother was born in Ukraine, and his daughter publicly distanced herself from Putin’s war of aggression.

According to the British newspaper, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “Evening Standard”that Abramovich is among a number of businessmen who wanted to “do something” to de-escalate the Ukraine war. “Some said they were ready to help rebuild the country after the war,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.

New round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine – with Abramovich

So far there has been no official confirmation from Abramovich. A spokesman said it was not helpful to comment on the process of these talks or Abramovich’s involvement for the sake of their success, according to FT. The newspaper quotes two of the billionaire’s confidants as saying that Abramovich is “trying to do what he can”. But: “It’s a big risk for him. But he said: ‘I want to do something’. Putin is unpredictable and can get angry – it’s always very risky. And it draws a lot of attention to what is dangerous.”

A new round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia began on Tuesday in Istanbul, Turkey. According to a photo published by the Russian state agency Tass, Roman Abramovich also took part in the talks. His influence in the talks: uncertain.

Other sources: News agencies DPA and AFP