Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Russian businessman Roman Abramovich in Kyiv in late May 2026 and tasked him with delivering an offer for direct talks to Russian President Vladimir Putin [1, 2]. Zelensky reportedly told Abramovich that he was open to a face-to-face meeting with Putin at any time [1].
On May 21, 2026, Putin met "one of the representatives of our business circles," widely understood to be Abramovich, but said he saw no point in meeting Zelensky [1, 2]. The Russian leader said, "He was not acting in an official capacity" during the encounter [2].
Abramovich has acted as an informal intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow since early in the conflict, helping facilitate the Turkey peace talks in March 2022, the Black Sea grain export deal, and prisoner exchanges [1, 2]. A source close to Abramovich said, "He is needed because he is the only Russian they will tolerate. He gets along with everyone" [2].
Currently, Abramovich resides between Turkey and the Gulf states due to UK and EU sanctions connected to his Kremlin ties [1]. Both the Kremlin and Abramovich declined to comment on the recent meeting [1, 2].
Despite stalled peace efforts, Zelensky continues to push for a summit with Putin. A person close to Zelensky said, "I don’t think anything substantial will happen until the end of summer" [2]. Meanwhile, a figure close to Abramovich criticized Zelensky’s approach, saying, "The Ukrainian leader thinks he can solve everything through the magic of his personal charisma at a leadership meeting" [2].
