KIEV, UKRAINE (Tribune News Service) – Billionaire Roman Abramovich traveled to Kyiv in a bid to resume peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which stalled following reports of Russian atrocities. Abramovich met with Ukrainian negotiators to discuss ways to revive the talks, according to those familiar with the matter. The Russian billionaire, who has long-standing ties to President Vladimir Putin, has been acting as an informal mediator since the start of the war in late February, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked him to step down. A spokesman for Abramovich declined to comment, as did Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak. After the last round of face-to-face meetings in Istanbul on March 29 – in which Abramovich participated – there are few signs of progress. Putin said on Tuesday that they were at a “dead end” and promised to continue his invasion. Zelensky said the discovery in recent weeks of evidence of war crimes by Russian troops stationed in Bukha and other cities near Kyiv complicates the prospects for negotiations. Moscow denies that its forces committed atrocities. Since the Istanbul meeting, Russia has redeployed troops from northern Ukraine to the Donbas region in the east, preparing for another major ground offensive in the coming days or weeks to gain more ground. Russian troops have stepped up bombings in Ukrainian cities in recent days following the sinking of the Black Sea Fleet flagship, the cruiser Moskva. Ukraine said its missiles hit the ship, while Russia said only that it caught fire, without explaining how. Areas such as Kyiv and Lviv in the Far West of Ukraine have come under fire. Ukraine has not yet received a formal response from the Kremlin on its proposals to Russia at the Istanbul talks, while Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of stagnation. Lower-level conversations continued via video link, with little sign of progress. Zelensky called on Western countries to provide more weapons and increase sanctions against Russia to strengthen its hand in the negotiations. “I always say to all our partners with whom I am discussing this issue, that the amount of support to Ukraine directly affects the restoration of peace,” Zelensky said in a speech to the nation on Friday. Russia has warned the United States and its allies not to send more weapons, albeit without success. ___ © 2022 Bloomberg LP Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
title: “Abramovich Visits Kyiv Seeking To Restart Ukraine Russia Talks " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-03” author: “Gary Mercuri”
Author of the article: Bloomberg News Darina Krasnolutska and Stephanie Baker Date of publication: 16 Apr 2022 • 18 hours ago • 2 minutes reading • 40 comments Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea Roman Abramovich arrives at a section of the Supreme Court in central London in October 2011. Photo by Andrew Winning / Reuters
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Billionaire Roman Abramovich traveled to Kyiv in a bid to resume peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which stalled following reports of Russian atrocities against civilians.
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Abramovich met with Ukrainian negotiators to discuss ways to revive the talks, according to those familiar with the matter. The Russian billionaire, who has long-standing ties to President Vladimir Putin, has been acting as an informal mediator since the start of the war in late February, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked him to step down. A spokesman for Abramovich declined to comment, as did Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak. After the last round of face-to-face meetings in Istanbul on March 29 – in which Abramovich participated – there are few signs of progress. Putin said on Tuesday that they were at a “dead end” and promised to continue his invasion. Zelensky said the discovery in recent weeks of evidence of war crimes by Russian troops stationed in Bukha and other cities near Kyiv complicates the prospects for negotiations. Moscow denies that its forces committed atrocities.
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Since the Istanbul meeting, Russia has redeployed troops from northern Ukraine to the Donbas region in the east, preparing for another major ground offensive in the coming days or weeks to gain more ground. Russian troops have stepped up bombings in Ukrainian cities in recent days following the sinking of the Black Sea Fleet flagship, the cruiser Moskva. Ukraine said its missiles hit the ship, while Russia said only that it caught fire, without explaining how. Areas such as Kyiv and Lviv in the Far West of Ukraine have come under fire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said talks with Russia were “deadlocked because we would not exchange territory and our people.” “, He said in an interview with Ukrainian online media.
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Ukraine has not yet received a formal response from the Kremlin on its proposals to Russia at the Istanbul talks, while Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of stagnation. Lower-level conversations continued via video link, with little sign of progress. Zelensky called on Western countries to provide more weapons and increase sanctions against Russia to strengthen its hand in the negotiations. “I always say to all our partners with whom I am discussing this issue, that the amount of support to Ukraine directly affects the restoration of peace,” Zelensky said in a speech to the nation on Friday. Russia has warned the United States and its allies not to send more weapons, albeit without success.
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