Zelenskyy confirms Abramovich passed “personal messages” to Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that he met Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in Kyiv in May, describing a non-public exchange in which the Russian side sought to deliver a message and receive a response intended for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Roman Abramovich is a Russian-Israeli-Portuguese billionaire oligarch, businessman, and politician best known as the former owner of Chelsea Football Club. Western governments (UK, EU, etc.) sanctioned him in 2022 partly because of his “long and close ties,” “privileged access,” and decades-long relationship with Putin, which they say helped sustain his wealth.

Speaking in an interview with Sky News, Zelenskyy said Abramovich arrived in Kyiv carrying a “personal message” and requested that any communication remain private.

“He came to Kyiv. He said he had a personal message for me and wanted to receive a message from me to pass on to Putin,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said Abramovich asked for confidentiality, but Kyiv made no distinction between public and private diplomatic channels in principle.

“He emphasised that everything should happen privately. I replied: it’s your choice. For us, there is no difference – publicly or privately,” he said, adding that in his experience Russian requests for secrecy often became public within a short time.

Zelenskyy also said the Russian side appeared interested in understanding Ukraine’s position on possible negotiations, including territorial questions related to Donbas. He reiterated that Ukraine would not withdraw from its territory.

“I said: no, we will not leave there. We will not give you such a victory,” he said.

According to the president, any discussion of compromises would only be possible after a ceasefire. “The ceasefire itself is already the biggest compromise on our part,” he added.

Zelenskyy said he had told Abramovich he was prepared for direct talks with Putin in any format and at any time, provided the meeting was not held in Moscow or Minsk. He also said international participation could be included, referencing possible involvement of European leaders or former U.S. President Donald Trump, but stressed that the key objective would be a ceasefire agreement.

“I said: you can choose any day, starting at least tomorrow. Any format,” he said.

The president added that he was not certain whether Abramovich acted as an official intermediary. “When he received my message, he said he would pass it on directly to Putin,” Zelenskyy said.

His remarks followed earlier reporting by Ukrainian media outlet Suspilnе, which cited an informed government source confirming that a meeting between Zelenskyy and Abramovich took place in Kyiv in May. According to that source, the initiative came from the Russian side, which sought to assess Ukraine’s conditions for ending the war.

The same source said Zelenskyy conveyed Kyiv’s position during the encounter and reaffirmed readiness for direct negotiations with Putin, but stressed that the meeting did not produce any practical results.

Separately, Suspilnе reported that Russia continued its military actions despite both public and non-public diplomatic signals, underlining the limited impact of informal contacts on the trajectory of the war.

Further details were previously reported by the Financial Times, which cited four informed sources saying Abramovich travelled to Kyiv at Zelenskyy’s invitation. According to those accounts, the Russian businessman was also expected to relay messages to the Kremlin and encourage a potential direct meeting between the two leaders.

The FT sources said Zelenskyy had asked Abramovich to inform Putin of his readiness for a face-to-face meeting, marking an early attempt to open direct channels since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At the time, Kyiv reportedly sought to demonstrate openness to negotiations amid shifting international mediation dynamics, including reduced U.S. diplomatic involvement in favour of other global crises.

Ukrainian officials also believed that recent battlefield developments – such as strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and slowing Russian advances, could strengthen incentives for a ceasefire. However, no corresponding shift from the Kremlin followed.

In an open letter published on the website of the Ukrainian Presidency and addressed directly to Putin, Zelenskyy portrayed the war as the Kremlin leader’s personal political choice and argued that Russia is facing mounting military, economic and social costs that will become increasingly difficult to sustain.

SKYNEWS: You sent Putin a letter asking to meet, quite a cheeky letter. Putin described it as rude. You referenced his age and years in power.
ZELENSKYY: You didn't read first version.
SKYNEWS: First version ruder? (Both laugh) You want to share it with us?
ZELENSKYY: No, no. pic.twitter.com/tBmGfBtKPX
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) June 7, 2026