Zelensky confirms Abramovich involved in Ukraine peace talks

Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky personally asked his US counterpart Joe Biden not to impose sanctions on Roman Abramovich due to his involvement in peace talks.

Zelensky has refused to confirm he made the plea to Biden but confirmed that Abramovich has indeed tried to help the victims of the Russian invasion, as well as influence the Russian president Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace deal.

"You are naming a single big businessman from Russia," Zelensky said when asked about the Wall Street Journal's report about Abramovich, as quoted by Meduza.

"All these people, being afraid of the sanctions... I think it's not about patriotism. I understand the comfort they used to have and no longer have or will no longer have, and there's really no light at the end of the tunnel for them.

"Of course, they are looking for a way out.

"But I want to tell you that throughout all these years [since 2014, the Russian annexation of Crimea and creation of proxy states in the Donbas region], both Ukrainian and Russian sides, businessmen, journalists, artists, they have all been looking for a way out.

"But getting through to the Russian government was impossible. Someone has gotten through a little bit.

"Regarding my discussions with Biden [about asking the US president to not impose sanctions on Abramovich]... I cannot talk about our private conversations right now, due to a variety of reasons.

"I know that this businessman [Abramovich], he was among the negotiators from the Russian side. I don't know officially or unofficially, but they were in touch [with Ukrainian negotiators].

"And he did, as far as I know, help regarding humanitarian aid, with getting people out of Mariupol through humanitarian corridors.

"Everyone tried their best with Mariupol, and he [Abramovich] in particular, I know that — but nothing worked.

"As I said, all humanitarian convoys have been destroyed [by Russian troops].

"But from him, as well as other businessmen, there were signals, 'we want to help, we want to do something'. They are ready to help rebuild Ukraine after the war.

"'We are ready to give money, to move our business to Ukraine although we live in England or Switzerland... Can we do it bypassing the sanctions?'. We received all these [signals]."

The Chelsea owner is under UK and EU sanctions due to his close links to Vladimir Putin. It was earlier reported that he has been trying to negotiate peace and stop the Russian invasion.

Mariupol, to which Zelensky refers in his interview, is a city in Eastern Ukraine that is currently besieged by the Russian forces. The population is starving as the Russian troops often prevent people from leaving the city.

The Russian troops mercilessly shell civilian buildings such as schools, hospitals and shelters, with more than 2,500 civilians killed, as per the Ukrainian government estimate.

Russia is still destroying Ukrainian cities and killing civilians including kids with all the weapons imaginable. We strongly condemn Putin’s genocide and acts of terror against Ukraine.