London: Roman Abramovich is acting as a ‘peacemaker’ in the Russian war in Ukraine as he avoids Western sanctions in Turkey, Daily Mail reported.
The Chelsea FC owner has been reportedly jetting between Istanbul, Moscow and Kiev to relay messages between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
But when handed a note from the Ukrainian President outlining peace terms, the Russian President reportedly erupted with fury, Daily Mail reported.
Abramovich has been trying to rescue his reputation after being slapped with sanctions by the UK and the EU over his closeness to Putin. His assets have been frozen across Britain and the continent and he started a fire sale of London property as well as the Chelsea football club.
But his yachts and jets, which are worth hundreds of millions of pounds, remain out of bounds as they dodge sanctioned waters and airspace.
Abramovich left Ataturk airport in Istanbul on a private Hawker 800XP jet last Wednesday, heaving across the Black Sea towards Sochi.
Its flight tracker went dark near the city of Mineralnye Vody, with the plane later popping up leaving Vnukovo airport in Moscow and returning to the Turkish capital.
The oligarch had flown in to meet Putin and hand him a handwritten note by Zelensky outlining Ukraine’s peace terms position, Daily Mail reported.
According to the Times, UK, the Russian President said to the oligarch: “Tell him I will thrash them.”
He returned to Istanbul and linked up with Ukrainian politician Rustem Umerov, who is said to be acting as Kiev’s negotiator.
They met at five-star hotels in the Turkish capital, having been set up by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
And they appear to be making progress with future face-to-face talks set to continue this week, the report said.
(IANS)
