The owner of football club Chelsea FC had offered to help Ukraine, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is trying to mediate between Moscow and kyiv to end the war in Ukraine, and two Ukrainian negotiators have suffered symptoms that suggest possible “poisoning”, the Wall Street reported on Monday. Newspaper.
What symptoms?
After a meeting in the Ukrainian capital in March, the billionaire owner of English football club Chelsea and at least two senior officials from the Ukrainian negotiating team “developed symptoms”, writes the American newspaper, citing “people aware of this situation”. Red and watery eyes, peeling face and hands : these symptoms then improved “and their lives are not in danger”, he adds.
The daily’s sources spoke of possible poisoning, and suspected hard-liners in Moscow who they say want to sabotage talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
A relative of Roman Abramovich, however, said for his part that he was not unsure of the identity of those who allegedly targeted the groupspecifies the Wall Street Journal, also affirming that Western experts have not been able to determine the cause of the symptoms.
He had offered his help to Ukraine
The newspaper confirms in any case that the Russian oligarch, considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and already targeted by EU and UK sanctions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, began shuttling between Moscow and Ukraine as part of a mediation to put end to the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that several Russian businessmen, including Roman Abramovich, offered their help to Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal revealed last week that the Ukrainian president had asked his American counterpart Joe Biden not to sanction Roman Abramovich, arguing that he could play a role in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
And in fact, the billionaire does not appear at this stage on the list of oligarchs sanctioned by Washington, yet extended several times and again last Thursday.