Zelenskyy: Abramovich participated in dialogue attempts between Kyiv and Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich participated in efforts to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelenskyy recounted that Abramovich met with him in Kyiv, carrying a message from Russia. The Ukrainian president said he conveyed his response to Abramovich, instructing him to tell Putin that Ukraine would not yield its territory and would not grant Russia a victory in Donbas.

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We will not leave our territory. We will not give you victory in this way.

Zelenskyy also stated he told Abramovich that he was prepared to meet with Putin directly, or with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders, at any time and location outside of Russia and Belarus. The Financial Times reported the meeting occurred in late May.

Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, was sanctioned by the UK shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 due to his ties with Putin. He was previously involved in negotiations with Moscow and reportedly played a role in a 2022 prisoner exchange involving five British men captured while fighting for Ukraine.

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I told him to tell the Russian president that I am ready to meet with him anytime, anywhere, except in Russia and Belarus, bilaterally or with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders.