A few days after the conflict began more than a month ago, a spokesman for the Chelsea owner said that the billionaire “contacted the Ukrainian side for support in reaching a peaceful solution”. Just a few days ago, the Kremlin admitted for the first time that it was indeed involved in early peace talks. There were reports that Abramovich was traveling between Istanbul, Moscow and Kiev to deliver messages from Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Abramovich and two other negotiators were also identified on Monday as suspected victims of poisoning following their participation in peace talks in Kyiv in early March. So how involved is Mr. Abramovich in the peace process? Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 13:27: Abramovich has ties to Putin February 28 A spokesman for the Chelsea owner said: “I can confirm that the Ukrainian side has contacted Roman Abramovich for support in reaching a peaceful settlement and that he has been trying to help ever since.” His participation came at the request of Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyansky, who had sought help from people linked to Russia. “Although Roman Abramovich’s influence is limited, he is the only one who responded and undertook to try,” Rodnjanski said. 3rd of March The owner of Chelsea watched talks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv earlier this month, according to the Wall Street Journal. The media research group Bellingcat said the talks took place “on Ukrainian soil” and lasted until around 22:00 on March 3. Three members of the negotiating team went to an apartment in the city where they began to feel the initial symptoms, including inflammation of the eyes and skin, Bellingcat added. “The symptoms did not go away until the morning,” the website said. March 4 Mr Abramovich and two other negotiators drove from Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv before heading to Poland and then to Istanbul to continue negotiations, Bellingcat said. March 10 According to the German newspaper Bild, the billionaire took part in a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba. The oligarch entered and left through a side door so as not to be found, the newspaper wrote. Image: Abramovich was seen in a VIP lounge at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on March 14. March 15 Mr Abramovich allegedly landed in Moscow after apparently being spotted at an Israeli airport. A jet linked to the Russian-Israeli billionaire landed in the Russian capital after a short stop in Istanbul, en route from Tel Aviv, according to Flightradar24. March 24 Dmitry Peshkov, the Kremlin’s press secretary, acknowledged that Mr Abramovich was indeed involved in the early peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, Putin’s spokesman insisted he would no longer attend summits, which were left to diplomatic missions by warring nations.
