- Roman Abramovich was pictured Tuesday at peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
- But Britain’s ambassador to Ukraine told the BBC he had “no idea” why Abramovich was there.
- Both Russia and Ukraine said he was not part of their official negotiating teams.
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A Ukrainian ambassador said he had “no idea” what Roman Abramovich was doing at the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the BBC reported.
The Russian oligarch was seen during negotiations between the two countries in Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday. He sat in the back of the room where the talks were taking place.
Vadym Prystaiko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Britain, told the BBC: “I have no idea what Mr. Abramovich is claiming or doing. He is not part of the negotiating team.”
“I don’t know if he somehow redeems himself or if he’s really useful, it’s very difficult to say,” Prystaiko added. It is unclear whether Prystaiko himself was present at the talks.
Abramovich’s role in the talks is also unclear.
Both Russia and Ukraine said he was not an official member of their negotiating teams, the BBC reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday Abramovich is there to facilitate “certain contacts” between the two sides, Reuters reported. Peskov also said Russia “approved” Abramovich’s participation in the talks, the New York Times reported.
A person familiar with the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Times that Abramovich had grown into Rustem Umerov – a key member of Ukraine’s negotiating team – and wanted the war to end.
Tuesday was not the first time Abramovich has appeared in talks between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
He was part of a round of public negotiations in Belarus four days after the conflict began and has since flown between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and Israel, The Times reported.
Abramovich also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, where he personally delivered a peace-seeking message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Times of London reported. The note was rejected by Putin, the newspaper said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Zelenskyy had asked the US not to sanction Abramovich because he could help in peace talks and that the US Treasury Department had halted his plans to do so. However, Abramovich, who owns the Chelsea Football Club football team, faces sanctions from the UK government.
The Journal and Bellingcat reported that Abramovich and a group of Ukrainian negotiators were suffering from symptoms of suspected poisoning in early March. The Kremlin dismissed the report, calling it misinformation.