(Reuters) – Russian businessman Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators showed symptoms of possible poisoning this month after a meeting in Kyiv, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the situation. .
Roman Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to help in efforts to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and at least two members of the Ukrainian negotiating team suffered rashes and irritation eyes as well as skin problems on the face and hands, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The state of health of the oligarch, who is now targeted by Western sanctions, and of the Ukrainian negotiators, including the Crimean Tatar deputy Roustem Oumerov, has improved and they are not in danger, the newspaper continues.
A source confirmed the incident to Reuters but said it did not stop Roman Abramovich from continuing to work.
According to the Kremlin, the businessman played a mediating role at the start of the talks between Ukraine and Russia, but the process is now in the hands of the two negotiating teams.
Russia describes its invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, as a “special military operation” intended to demilitarize and “denazify” its neighbor. Ukraine and Western countries denounce unprovoked aggression.
(Report Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bangalore, French version Bertrand Boucey, edited by Nicolas Delame)