Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he asked sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to deliver a direct message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his message, Zelenskiy emphasized that Ukraine will never surrender Donbas and expressed his readiness to meet Putin face-to-face in any city outside Russia or Belarus.
Claims of Meeting and Messaging
In a June 7 interview with Sky News, Zelenskiy stated that Abramovich had met with him and conveyed that the Russian side wanted to understand what they were prepared for. Zelenskiy said that during this meeting, he told Abramovich his conditions to pass on to Putin.
According to a Financial Times report based on four sources, Zelenskiy invited Abramovich to Kyiv in May 2026 and asked him to deliver a message to Putin expressing readiness to resume direct leader-level talks to end the war. The report suggested Kyiv wanted to show openness to peace talks even while the US was preoccupied with the Iran conflict.
Moscow Side Rejects the Proposal
The report also noted that Russia rejected this initiative. Speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin said he met with a representative from the business community on May 21 but stated there was no point in meeting Zelenskiy.
Putin described this unnamed individual as a businessman acting without any official capacity. There was a noted difference between Zelenskiy’s version and the Financial Times’ account regarding who initiated the meeting.
Abramovich’s Role as Mediator
Roman Abramovich has been named as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv since the early months of Russia’s large-scale invasion in 2022. He has previously played roles in prisoner exchanges and negotiations related to the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
The report cited sources close to Abramovich saying he continues to maintain connections between the two capitals. According to these sources, this role became less visible after Russia increased direct talks with the US following Donald Trump’s re-election.
Summit Search Depends on War Developments
Zelenskiy’s call for a direct leaders’ summit coincided with a period when Ukraine saw a window of opportunity for negotiations with Russia. Zelenskiy warned this window could close when winter returns.
It was noted that Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances on some fronts and that the war’s impact on Russian civilians has intensified due to Ukraine’s deep strike capabilities. Zelenskiy’s recent call stood out as his first direct contact attempt with Putin since 2022.
In an open letter published on June 7, Zelenskiy invited Putin to meet directly and said they were ready to start negotiations with a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Putin rejected the letter, calling it rude and again declined a meeting.
