Several Russian businessmen, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, have offered Kiev money, partly to support the army. At least that is what Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky claims in an interview with various Russian media on Sunday.
So one of those signals came from Abramovich. The oligarch is said to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and EU sanctions are pending against him. “We got signals from him and some other businessmen who offered, ‘We can help somehow, we can do something,’” Zelenski said.
“Some have said they were willing to help rebuild the country after the war,” the Ukrainian president said. “’We want to move our company to Ukraine, we live in England or somewhere in Switzerland. But how do we get rid of that sanctions list?’ There are those who don’t want to give their names and say that, as Russians, they want to help our army.”
Zelensky further assured that no matter which businessmen are willing to give money to support the Ukrainian military, Ukraine is willing to “guarantee their security, provide them with jobs and give their companies the opportunity to develop”. The president said he wanted to start a conversation about a “change of nationality” of these people.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Zelensky had pleaded with US President Joe Biden not to sanction Abramovich because he could play a role in the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.