Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich traveled to Kyiv in an attempt to restart peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Saturday, as negotiations between the two countries have reached a standstill more than seven weeks into the war.
Roman Abramovich attends peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on … [+]
Abramovich, an oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, met with Ukrainian negotiators to discuss paths to restarting negotiations, anonymous sources familiar with the meeting told Bloomberg.
Abramovich has served as an unofficial mediator between the two countries and has attended previous rounds of negotiations—though it was widely reported the billionaire was poisoned while he attended talks in early March.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally asked President Joe Biden for the U.S. to refrain from sanctioning Abramovich, as he could act as a go-between in peace negotiations, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
A representative for Abramovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes, but his spokesperson declined to comment to Bloomberg.
Source:forbes
