Putin did not include Abramovich in the group of negotiators on Ukraine

^{Photo: TASS}
Billionaire Roman Abramovich was not included in the group tasked by Putin with negotiating with the Donald Trump administration. The 58-year-old Abramovich previously played the role of "the Kremlin's unofficial representative" in Russia's relations with the West and Ukraine, The Moscow Times writes. The billionaire participated in the conclusion of the "grain deal" in 2022, the exchange of prisoners of war in 2023 and the return of children taken from Ukraine.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Abramovich's main function was to simultaneously communicate with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. But now these "pluses" are no longer needed. “The Kremlin is no longer interested in relations with the Ukrainian president,” the source said.

Putin sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev to the talks with the American delegation in Saudi Arabia. Dmitriev is close to Putin through family ties: he is married to Natalya Popova, a close friend and business partner of Putin’s youngest daughter, Ekaterina Tikhonova.

Also seen in Riyadh is billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who has experience in directly dealing with Trump. In 2008, he bought a Palm Beach estate from Trump for $95 million — a record amount for the Florida real estate market at the time. The deal with Rybolovlev brought Trump almost 100 percent of the profit — the American businessman bought the mansion in 2004 for $41.3 million.

The Russian team of negotiators has been instructed by the Kremlin to be “as friendly as possible” with the American delegation and even to show “commendatory attitude” to the United States and Trump personally. According to the sources, Moscow hopes that Washington will help to remove the country’s frozen assets ($6 billion) from the bloc, as well as to lift sanctions and return diplomatic cables seized during the Obama administration.

The Moscow Times’ sources say that the team may expand depending on the situation. Many people will be involved in the consultations, including the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, and Special Representative for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”