The allegations surfaced on the eve of the first face-to-face peace talks weeks ago amid fears that the Kremlin was not ready to compromise, despite fierce resistance from its forces since the invasion began. Allegations of poisoning were first reported in the Wall Street Journal and by the investigative news agency Bellingcat, although a U.S. official told Reuters Monday night that the evidence showed no evidence of poisoning. A source familiar with the incident told the Guardian that Abramovich, the billionaire former owner of Chelsea, was involved in informal negotiations in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in early March when he began to feel ill. According to the source, Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov also took part in the negotiation and the men later left Ukraine for Poland and then flew to Istanbul, where they received medical treatment. “It was his first trip to Kyiv. Roman lost his sight for several hours. “In Turkey, they were treated in a clinic, together with Rustem,” the source said. Earlier, Bellingcat issued a statement saying it believed the three men had been suspected of poisoning. “Bellingcat can confirm that three members of the delegation that took part in the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on the night of March 3-4, 2022, showed symptoms consistent with chemical weapons poisoning,” she said. “One of the victims was Russian businessman Roman Abramovich,” the agency wrote in a tweet. Bellingcat said the symptoms included inflammation of the eyes and skin and piercing eye pain, adding that the three men recovered quickly. They left Kyiv the next day, drove to Poland and then flew to Istanbul. “The three men who showed the symptoms consumed only chocolate and water in the hours before the symptoms appeared. A fourth member of the team who consumed them also showed no symptoms, “wrote Bellingcat, who said one of her investigators had been asked to comment on the incident by chemical weapons experts. “Based on the distance and on-site examinations, the experts concluded that the symptoms were most likely the result of … poisoning with an unspecified chemical weapon,” Bellingcat said. Tests showed that if the disease was caused by poisoning, it was unlikely to be at a dose intended to kill, Bellingcat said. Much about the story remains vague. Umerov wrote on Facebook that he was “fine” and called on people not to trust “unverified information”. A US official has raised further doubts about the account. “The information shows that this was environmental,” the official told Reuters, adding: “For example, no poisoning.” Asked to comment, a spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “There is a lot of speculation at the moment and we recommend that you only follow the official information.” Abramovich was sanctioned earlier this month by Britain for its “clear links” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he escaped US sanctions, reportedly because Zelensky asked Washington to stop because of Abramovich’s role in the peace talks. Abramovich was first introduced to the peace talks as an unofficial channel to Vladimir Putin by Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyansky, according to Rodnyansky’s son, also known as Alexander and Zelenskiy’s financial adviser. “My father was the starting point for Roman Abramovich getting involved in the talks. “We were looking for an alternative link to communicate our position at the top,” Rodnyansky told the Guardian. “What can Abramovic do? She may meet with Vladimir Putin and try to convey something to him. But in general, there is limited scope for how much Roman can carry, given the reality in Russia. “At the same time, we must try to give every opportunity for peace a chance,” he said. A source in Moscow said Abramovich had personal meetings with both Zelensky and Putin last month and traveled to Istanbul on Monday to take part in talks there. Abramovich’s talks took place in parallel with the formal negotiations between the Russia and Ukraine negotiating teams, which took place in Belarus and online. The second round of talks in Belarus took place at about the same time as Abramovich’s first visit to Kyiv. Two days later, a member of the official Ukrainian negotiating team, Dennis Kireev, was shot and killed. Early reports say he was arrested for treason and killed while resisting arrest. Later, Ukraine’s military intelligence service said he was a hero who had been killed in the line of duty. It is not clear if his death was related to his activities in the negotiating team. A new round of peace talks was set to begin in Istanbul on Tuesday. In an interview in a fortified building in Kyiv on Friday, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said he felt the Russians were becoming more serious about the negotiations over time. “We can see how they are changing their behavior. Why; Why another thing when you go to negotiations thinking tomorrow that you will occupy Kyiv, and another thing when you fight for 30 days and you have nowhere. “There is an ongoing thought process out there right now,” he said. He declined to comment on Abramovic’s role in the negotiations.
