Zelenskyy confirmed meeting with Russian oligarch Abramovich in Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed for the first time that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich secretly visited Kyiv as an envoy from Vladimir Putin. The Head of State made this statement in an interview with Sky News, UNN reports.

Details

"He came to Kyiv. He said: 'I have brought a message directly to you, and I want to take a message from you and deliver it to Vladimir Putin,'" the President said.

At the same time, the Russian businessman insisted on the complete secrecy of this mission.

"But he noted that this should be done quietly, without any publicity. I said: 'That is your choice — it doesn't matter to us,'" Zelenskyy noted.

The Head of State added that the fact of Abramovich's visit itself "is not a secret." The Russian billionaire sought to ascertain Ukraine's position on a possible settlement of the conflict and to understand "what we are willing to do" when it comes to peace negotiations.

However, Zelenskyy emphasized that he clearly outlined Kyiv's "red lines" and flatly refused to make territorial concessions regarding Donbas.

"That was the key message. I said that we will not go [for that]. We will not give you a victory in that way," the President of Ukraine stressed.

When asked by a journalist whether Abramovich remains a permanent mediator for communication between Kyiv and the Kremlin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy replied: "When he received the message from me, he said he would go directly to Putin."

Recall

As the Financial Times previously reported, in May, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich visited Kyiv at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader attempted to use him to persuade Vladimir Putin to agree to direct peace talks.