Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Joe Biden not to sanction Roman Abramovich over claims the Chelsea owner could potentially help in Russia’s peace talks, a report said.
The US Treasury Department was ready to sanction the oligarch along with the UK and European Union earlier this month but was told by the White House to wait, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Mr Zelsneky had asked the US president to hold off on sanctioning Mr Abramovich, who has a close relationship with Vladimir Putin, as the Ukrainian leadership believes he could be a key mediator with Moscow, an official told the newspaper.
During the call, Mr. Biden reportedly spoke to Mr. Zelensky about a series of sanctions the White House wanted to implement.
“We will not read private conversations between President Biden and President Zelensky,” said Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.
Earlier this month, Mr Abramovich froze all his assets in Britain and the European Union, while the US, with its Western allies, has already targeted wealthy oligarchs to increase pressure on Mr Putin.
“It is not helpful to the negotiations, and in the interest of their success, to comment on the process or Mr. Abramovich’s involvement,” a spokesman for Mr. Abramovich said in a statement.
“As noted, based on requests, including from Jewish organizations in Ukraine, he has done everything in his power to support efforts aimed at restoring peace as quickly as possible.”
Mr Abramovich feels he can try to use his standing in the Russian business community to influence talks between the two nations, a person close to him told the newspaper.
It is not known if the businessman actually spoke to Mr Putin or engaged in significant negotiations between the two countries.
US officials told The Wall Street Journal there was no reason to believe the oligarch had been helpful in talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the unprovoked invasion.
Mr Abramovich became involved when Ukrainian officials reached out to people with Kremlin contacts who might be able to listen to Mr Putin.
One of them, according to his publicist Lera Paksyalina, was film producer Alexander Rodnyansky, the father of an adviser to the President of Ukraine.