Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was seen attending the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul following reports of his suspected poisoning
- Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was spotted attending Tuesday's Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul.
- According to The Wall Street Journal, Abramovich experienced poisoning symptoms earlier this month.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was seen on Tuesday attending the ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Turkey — a day after it was reported that he and two Ukrainian negotiators might have been poisoned earlier this month.
Abramovich had arrived in Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the negotiations in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace, Russian state-owned outlet RIA Novosti reported.
Photos and videos posted on Twitter appeared to show Abramovich in the back of the room where the Ukrainian and Russian delegations met. In the images, the oligarch appeared to be seated next to İbrahim Kalın, Turkey's presidential spokesperson.
While not official footage, the images matched the layout of the room where the discussions were held, as shown in photos from the Turkish government.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Abramovich had suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Kyiv last month. The outlet said the billionaire and the two Ukrainian negotiators experienced red eyes and peeling skin on their hands and faces.
While Abramovich has since recovered, it was not immediately clear how the suspected attack was carried out or if a chemical, biological, or electromagnetic radiation agent was involved, per the Journal. The outlet also reported that people familiar with the matter blamed the attack on Russia, claiming that it was an attempt to derail the talks.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Abramovich has been trying to assist Ukraine in its negotiations with Russia. In return for his efforts, Ukraine has asked the US to ditch plans to sanction Abramovich, according to the Journal.
"As far as I am aware, he was helping with the humanitarian issue: with the humanitarian convoy taking people out of Mariupol," Zelenskyy told reporters on Sunday.