When Russian oligarch and unofficial peacemaker Roman Abramovich presented President Vladimir Putin with a handwritten note from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Putin reportedly said, "Tell him I will thrash them".
The handwritten note detailed Ukraine's conditions for ending the war, as per a report in The Times.
Earlier, sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had accepted Ukraine’s request to help in the negotiations to bring an end to the war which began on February 24. The Chelsea Football Club owner has reportedly been flitting between Istanbul, Moscow and Kyiv to relay messages from one president to the other.
ABRAMOVICH POISONED?
On Monday, it was reported by The Wall Street Journal that Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv earlier this month.
The report mentioned that the symptoms included red eyes and peeling skin on their faces and hands.
Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators' health have improved from before and they are currently out of danger, the report stated.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS
Meanwhile, the first face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to take place in Turkey on Tuesday. As per a Reuters report, Ukraine's top objective is to secure a ceasefire, although both it and the United States are skeptical of a major breakthrough.
"The minimum programme will be humanitarian questions and the maximum programme is reaching an agreement on a ceasefire," Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said. "We are not trading people, land or sovereignty," he added
