Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is said to have accepted Ukraine‘s offer to be part of peace talks that will settle the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Russian businessman announced his decision to step down from his duties in charge of Chelsea last week, following Vladimir Putin‘s decision to launch a military operation in Ukraine.
Jewish News reported that Ukraine made contact with Abramovich to ask him to mediate in their bid to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Russia.
“I can confirm that the Ukrainian side have been trying to find someone in Russian willing to help them in finding a peaceful resolution,” said a spokesperson for the Russian billionaire.
“They are connected to Mr Abramovich through the Jewish community and reached out to him for help. Mr Abramovich has been trying to mobilise support for a peaceful resolution ever since.
“Although Mr Abramovich‘s influence is limited, he is the only one who responded and taken it upon himself to try. If this will have an impact or not, I don’t know, but I am in contact with [Ukraine president Volodymyr] Zelenskiy‘s staff myself, and know that they are grateful for his genuine efforts.”
