The same night, the same plane departed from Moscow Vnukovo Airport and returned to Istanbul. On board was Roman Abramovich, the oligarch and former owner of FC Chelsea, who acted as an unofficial envoy of President Putin in talks with Ukraine. In Moscow, Abramovich met with Putin, presenting him with a handwritten note from President Zelensky outlining the terms Ukraine would consider agreeing to end the month-long war. Putin’s initial response was clear: “Tell him I’ll crush them.” Back in Istanbul, Abramovich met with Rustem Umerov.
