The tsar’s response freezes him

Handwritten card delivered in the first person by Roman Abramovich to Vladimir put it in. The Russian oligarch who owns Chelsea’s trip to Moscow has served one purpose: to deliver a message from Zelensky for Caesar. Another attempt at mediation, a role that the billionaire has played since the beginning of negotiations with the consent of both sides. But what was written on that paper? According to the Times, the Ukrainian president was to send his proposals for a peace agreement, but Putin’s response was terse: “Tell him I’m going to eliminate it.”

Abramovich and return to Kyiv

In recent weeks, Abramovich traveled between Istanbul, Moscow and Kiev. After meeting Putin, the 55-year-old returned to Istanbul and joined forces with Ukrainian politician Rustam Omirov, who is believed to be working as a negotiator in Kyiv. The two met at a five-star hotel in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The talks appear to be making some progress, although it is unclear how much influence Abramovich has in the negotiations. The oligarch sought to salvage what was left of his reputation, which was left in tatters after the British government hit him with severe penalties for his alleged links to Putin. Abramovich has always denied having a close relationship with the Russian president.

Abramovich’s role in the negotiations

For weeks there has been talk of Abramovich as a possible facilitator of peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. So much so that the official international media wrote in recent days that it was Volodymyr Zelensky who asked the United States not to impose sanctions on his assets. The Ukrainian president had – according to the Wall Street Journal – suggested to Joe Biden to wait for sanctions because the oligarchy could play a role in peace negotiations with Russia thanks to his influence on the Kremlin. It is not a marginal side, especially at a time when mediation is weakening, and Mikhailo Podolyak, chief negotiator of the Ukrainian side, emphasized that the talks had entered a particularly “difficult” phase because “only the Ukrainian side has clear and clear positions .in principle”.

Penalties

In early March, US Treasury officials drafted sanctions to punish Abramovich in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. But at the time of its announcement, the National Security Council asked the Treasury to wait. Behind the request was Zelensky’s advice to Biden to freeze the proceedings. In fact, the Jewish billionaire was the only oligarch who said publicly that he wanted to pressure Moscow to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Already on February 28, Roman Abramovich, at the request of Ukraine, was spotted in Belarus for the first round of negotiations, although he never appeared in the photos of delegations. But now it seems that Abramovich has disappeared from the radar screens and his various interests and passports allow him a certain freedom of movement.

The last confirmed sighting of the pole was at Tel Aviv airport (Abramovich holds an Israeli passport) where he was supposed to travel on a special flight to Moscow. Much is known about his interests and yachts. After the assets were frozen by the English government, the oligarch decided to take from Europe his luxury boats, real gems of naval engineering. The most famous of these is the eclipse seen in the Turkish port of Marmaris. On the other hand, his other yacht, My Solaris, is located in Bodrum, another Turkish city not far from its predecessor. The choice of Turkey as a safe haven is explained by the failure of Erdogan’s state to adhere to the European sanctions line promoted against Putin, and also because it is engaged in the front line in mediation. Erdogan’s soft streak also allows Abramovich to move: according to the Turkish portal “Fanatic”, the Russian businessman’s clan began negotiations for the acquisition of the Turkish club G “ztepe, having lost at the moment Chelsea.