Zelenskyy confirmed meeting with Russian oligarch Abramovich in Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that he met with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in Kyiv in May to convey a message to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin through him.
The head of state made the remarks in an interview with Sky News, reports Censor.NET.
Zelenskyy revealed the content of his conversation with Abramovich
"He came to Kyiv. He said I [brought a] message direct to you, and I want to take messages from you and to give it to [Vladimir] Putin," Zelenskyy said.
According to Zelenskyy, Abramovich asked for the meeting to remain secret, as he did not want any publicity.
"But he said that it has to be [done] silently without any kind of publicity. "I said it's your choice - for us, it doesn't matter," the president recounted the conversation.
He added that Abramovich’s visit to them "was not a secret", and that Abramovich wanted to understand "what we are ready to do" when it comes to peace talks.
However, Zelenskyy emphasised that he made it clear: Ukraine would not cede the Donbas territories to Russia.
He said: "It was the key message. I said we will not leave. We will not give you a victory in such way."
When asked whether Abramovich is now acting as a "go-between" for communication between Zelenskyy and Putin, the Ukrainian president replied: "When he got the messages from me, he said he would go directly to Putin"
What led up to this?
- On 5 June, Putin himself stated during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that the Russian businessman had allegedly travelled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
- On 7 June, the Financial Times, citing four sources, reported that in May, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had travelled to Kyiv at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader had tried, through him, to persuade Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to agree to direct peace talks.
