Dhe Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is said to have been the victim of a poisoning attempt during Russian-Ukrainian negotiations earlier this month. This was confirmed by his spokesman on Monday according to reports in the Wall Street Journal, according to which Abramovich and two members of the Ukrainian delegation had symptoms such as peeling skin on their faces and hands and red eyes. Kiev’s negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak denied on Monday evening that Ukrainian delegation members had been poisoned. Representatives of the US government also expressed doubts about the reports, which are based on research by the investigative collective Bellingcat. Intelligence information indicated a high probability that it was environmental, not poisoning, a US official said.
Abramovich has apparently been mediating at the highest level between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine for weeks. The British newspaper The Times reported on Monday that Abramovich flew by private jet from Istanbul, where he is currently staying, to Moscow last Wednesday to deliver a handwritten note from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Vladimir Putin and flew back the same evening to discuss Putin’s response with Ukrainian negotiators.
According to the Financial Times, Putin personally commissioned Abramovich to mediate. In addition, David Arakhamia, who leads Zelenskyy’s party in the Kyiv parliament, confirmed to the newspaper that Abramovich is “deeply involved in the peace talks”.
“Tell them I’ll beat them up”
Abramovich is among the most prominent oligarchs to gain a foothold in the UK. After his visa was not extended in 2018, the British government recently imposed sanctions on him, which also resulted in him losing control of his Premier League football club Chelsea. Shortly thereafter, the EU did the same.
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The government in Washington has so far refrained from taking any action against Abramovich. The Wall Street Journal reported that Selenskyi is said to have asked US President Joe Biden not to implement a number of sanctions that had already been prepared against the oligarch, which may have something to do with his mediating role.
According to the Times, Abramovich brought Zelenskyy’s proposals to Putin about a possible peace treaty. Allegedly, Putin initially responded with the sentence: “Tell them I’ll beat them up”. Abramovich then discussed Putin’s reactions in Istanbul with Ukrainian MP and businessman Rustem Umerov. Both had previously been in Kyiv with Selenskyj. There was a whole series of meetings between Abramovich and Umerow in various luxury hotels, which Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Erdogan, coordinated.
Alleged meeting with Schröder
According to the Times, despite Putin’s brusque reaction, progress has been made in the negotiations. Abramovich is said to have flown on a private plane owned by a Turkish company; he is not allowed to move his own plane because of the EU sanctions. Ankara has not imposed any sanctions on him, which is probably why he anchors two of his yachts in Bodrum Harbour.
Abramovich’s attempts at mediation seem to have begun early on. Ukrainian MP Arakhamia told the Financial Times that he met him during the first talks in Gomel, Belarus. Abramovich is also said to have met former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Moscow, together with the head of the Russian negotiation commission, Vladimir Medinsky.
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According to Arakhima, Abramovich “came into the process through the international Jewish community.” Abramovich has donated part of his wealth to Jewish institutions and holds an Israeli passport. However, a government official in Jerusalem denied to the Financial Times that Abramovich had anything to do with official Israeli mediation efforts.
Abramovich’s motives are unclear. It was speculated that he might initially have hoped to be spared sanctions by acting as a mediator. On the other hand, Putin’s apparently personal assignment contradicts his assurances that he is no longer in contact with the Kremlin. Abramovich made his fortune, estimated at more than eleven billion euros, mainly during the time of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and held a governorship in Putin’s early years.
The Times quoted sources as saying Abramovich’s efforts were a “genuine” response to the suffering in Ukraine. His mother was born in Ukraine, and his daughter has spoken out publicly against Putin’s war of aggression.