Chelsea owner Abramovich helping Ukraine negotiate for peace
5361 Min Read
Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich, who owns English Premier League soccer club Chelsea, has accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich served as governor of the remote Arctic region of Chukotka in Russia’s Far East.
It was not immediately clear what role, if any, Abramovich would have in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials that began on Monday at the Belarusian border.
Earlier a Ukrainian presidential adviser said Kyiv’s goal for the talks was an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. Ukrainian media later clarified that the reported comments were the personal opinion of the adviser, who is not a member of the talks delegation. Moscow has not said explicitly what its objective is in the talks.
Abramovich, 55, said on Saturday he was giving trustees of Chelsea stewardship of the club.
In recent days, two other Russian billionaires, Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska, have called for an end to the conflict. read more
Putin used an early morning address to the nation on Feb. 24 to order “a special military operation” against Ukraine just three days after recognising two Russian-backed rebel regions of Ukraine.
Putin said he was ordering the military operation to protect people, including Russian citizens, from “genocide” – an accusation Ukraine and the West reject as baseless propaganda.
