Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has once again emerged as an intermediary between Moscow and Kyiv in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea FC who remains under Western sanctions, previously acted as a mediator during failed negotiations in the early weeks of Russia’s 2022 invasion.
This time, the billionaire, one of Russia’s richest men who once served as governor of Russia’s Chukotka region, traveled to Ukraine carrying messages between the two sides.
Trip to Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he met privately with Abramovich in Kyiv last month, using the backchannel to notify President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine will never surrender its eastern Donbas region like the Kremlin leader demands.
