Abramovich risks US sanctions as peace talks “swamp”

Senior US officials are pushing for sanctions against Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich following the failure of his recent trip to Kyiv to revive peace talks, Bloomberg reports.

Abramovich did not meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the trip, speaking instead with his chief of staff, Andriy Germak, according to three people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the talks were private.

Zelensky is increasingly pessimistic about negotiations to end the war, having seen Russian atrocities in cities such as Bukha and Mariupol, two of the men said.

As it has become clear that the talks are not moving forward, there has been increased pressure from senior White House advisers to impose sanctions that were drawn up weeks ago, according to Bloomberg.

Two months after the start of the war, the prospect of a negotiated settlement looks as far-fetched as ever, with Russia launching a new offensive in southern and eastern Ukraine.

The billionaire’s role as an informal ombudsman has been controversial from the start, with critics arguing that Russia’s 10th richest man was simply trying to protect his vast fortune from sanctions against other businessmen for plotting to oust President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine.

On the day the war began, Abramovich accepted a request from Zelensky (sent through an intermediary) to get involved in negotiations to end the fighting, according to three people familiar with the situation. They also say that Abramovich “fell on his face” in an attempt to mediate the ceasefire, going back and forth between Moscow, Kiev, Belarus and Istanbul for backstage talks.

Earlier, Abramovich had asked Zelensky to mediate so that he would not be sanctioned by Western states, while he himself was trying to act as a mediator in the peace talks.

Despite opposition from some members of his government, the US president has not targeted the tycoon.