Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich during a visit to Kyiv last month to convey a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he was prepared to meet for what would be their first bilateral summit, the Financial Times reported Sunday.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper said Kyiv sought to demonstrate its commitment to direct peace talks with Russia, even as US-led ceasefire efforts have been overshadowed by the conflict in the Middle East.
Putin said Friday that he met “one of the representatives of our business circles” and “this, shall we say, colleague” on May 21 following his trip to Kyiv, and told him he saw no point in meeting Zelenskyy.
The Russian president added that the businessman was not acting in an official capacity.
Zelenskyy's office declined to comment and the Kremlin and a spokesperson for Abramovich did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the Financial Times said.
Abramovich has played a role in mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine since the early months of the war in 2022 and helped facilitate the Black Sea grain export agreement later that year.
Although his role has become less visible since Russia began direct negotiations with the US last year, people close to him told the Financial Times that he remains involved in prisoner exchanges and other contacts between Moscow and Kyiv, including discussions related to a stalled US-backed peace initiative.
“He is needed because he is the only Russian they will tolerate. He gets along with everyone,” one source said.
Zelenskyy has continued to advocate for a summit with Putin despite stalled peace efforts.
“I don’t think anything substantial will happen until the end of summer,” a person close to Zelenskyy said.
According to another person close to Abramovich, the Ukrainian leader “thinks he can solve everything through the magic of his personal charisma at a leadership meeting.”
Two senior Ukrainian officials told the Financial Times that the message Zelenskyy sent through Abramovich was similar to the open letter he addressed to Putin and published on his presidential website Thursday.
In the letter, Zelenskyy called for direct talks with Putin and said Ukraine was prepared to observe a ceasefire for the duration of negotiations, among other proposals.
However, Putin said he currently sees “no sense” in holding a meeting with Zelenskyy, arguing that previous direct contacts had failed to produce meaningful results.
In response, Zelenskyy accused Putin of having no genuine interest in ending the war, saying many around the world were disappointed by the Russian leader’s reaction to his open letter.
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