Volodymyr Zelensky invited former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich to Kyiv in a bid to persuade him to pass pleas for direct peace talks to Vladimir Putin, according to reports.
The Ukrainian president hosted the Russian billionaire last month and asked him to tell Mr Putin he was prepared to meet, multiple sources told the Financial Times. Any direct meeting between the two would be the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
It comes as Kyiv hopes to capitalise on a pivotal moment in the war, with Ukraine beginning to regain some leverage on the battlefield in part due to improved long-range strike capabilities.
open image in galleryEarlier this week, Mr Zelensky published a letter appealing to his Russian counterpartfor a meeting, while launching a blistering verdict on his 26-year tenure in Moscow.
In the letter, he said it would be misguided to simply await the Trump administration’s renewed focus on ending the conflict in Ukraine while its attention remains heavily directed towards the war in Iran.
He proposed the pair instead take the initiative to meet themselves for talks.
It has now been reported that Mr Zelensky met with Mr Abramovich as part of his efforts to bring about a meeting.
open image in galleryBut Mr Putin on Friday rejected the proposal by Mr Zelensky, saying he sees “no point” in it.
In the same speech in St Petersburg, the Russian president said he had met with a “representative” from Russian business circles but told him he did not believe there was value in him meeting Mr Zelensky.
The representative was not named by Mr Putin, who did say he was not acting in an official capacity.
Mr Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK and the EU in 2022 over Russia’s war in Ukraine, has participated in peace talks previously.
In 2022, the Kremlin said he had played an “early role” in talks before they had progressed to only involve the two countries’ negotiating teams.
However, his role has become less prominent since US negotiators became heavily involved last year.
The sanctioned oligarch has repeatedly distanced himself from claims from the UK government and others that he is close to Mr Putin.