Fortune: Abramovich visited Kyiv to discuss the continuation of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which have reached a dead end

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich met in Kyiv with members of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia. It is reported by Fortune, citing informed sources.

According to the publication, the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibility of continuing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which have reached an impasse amid reports of killings of civilians in Bucha and other cities of the Kiev region.

Fortune does not mention the date of the billionaire's visit and the results of the meeting. The representative of the businessman and one of the members of the Ukrainian delegation, Mikhail Podolyak, declined to comment.

Updated . The representative of the businessman called Fortune's information incorrect. “Mr. Abramovich is not in Kiev and has not been there recently,” he told RBC.

The fact that Roman Abramovich is taking part in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has been reported by unofficial sources since the end of February. In March, the Kremlin confirmed that the businessman was present at the talks. At the same time, it was emphasized that he was not among the official delegates. On March 29, the billionaire was noticed at the last face-to-face meeting of the parties in Istanbul.

In March, the EU and the UK imposed sanctions on Abramovich. The US authorities, according to American media, at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have postponed the introduction of restrictions against Abramovich due to his participation in the negotiations.

• During the last face-to-face round of negotiations, the Ukrainian delegation announced Kiev's readiness to abandon its plans to join NATO in exchange for security guarantees, and to resolve the Donbas issue after the ceasefire in the framework of further meetings between the Presidents of the Russian Federation and Ukraine Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky.
• In turn, the Russian side announced a “drastic reduction” in military activity in the Kiev and Chernigov directions. Further, the negotiations of the parties continued via video link, but, as Fortune notes, with little sign of progress.
• After the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kyiv region, there were reports of hundreds of civilians killed in these territories, including in the city of Bucha. Ukraine blamed the crimes of the Russian military. In Russia, involvement in this is denied. In particular, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the "false provocation" in Bucha was aimed at disrupting the peace talks at the moment when "light dawned" on them.
• Zelensky said that what happened in Bucha complicated the process of negotiations with Russia. “It is very difficult to talk when you see what they have done here,” he said. On April 12, Putin acknowledged that the talks had stalled.