Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich handed Russian President Vladimir Putin a handwritten note from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asking for peace, but Putin refused, the Times of London reported. Abramovich met with Putin in Moscow earlier this month, where he was handed Zelensky’s note to give to Putin, the Times reported. Abramovich took part in the peace talks, and Zelenski said Abramovich was trying to help. According to the report, the note contained the terms Zelensky would accept to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. But Putin was not convinced, saying, “Tell him I will crush them,” the Times reported. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators showed symptoms of a poison attack earlier in March. The investigative news agency Bellingcat later said it could “confirm that three members of the delegation that took part in the Ukraine-Russia peace talks on the night of March 3-4, 2022 showed symptoms consistent with chemical weapons poisoning.” Abramovich was seen in Istanbul, Turkey, for the final round of peace talks on Tuesday. Representatives of both countries have met several times since the start of the war, but little progress has been made. Zelensky said Sunday that Russian businessmen were offering assistance to Ukraine as they sought to avoid Western sanctions for the invasion. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Zelensky had asked the United States not to impose sanctions on Abramovich because he could be helpful in the peace talks, and the US Treasury Department then halted plans to do so.
