Vitaliy Portnikov / Vilni Media
Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the information that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich visited Kyiv for negotiations with the Ukrainian president and other country leaders — the same Abramovich who participated in the negotiation process in 2022.
The first information about the visit of the “Russian businessman” to Kyiv was disclosed by Putin during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as evidence that Ukraine hopes for negotiations and a meeting of presidents. However, Putin again refused to meet with Zelensky, and many even questioned the very fact of the “businessman’s” visit to Kyiv. But even in the first minutes after Putin’s statement, many said that if anyone did visit, it could only be Abramovich.
Because Abramovich is not just a “businessman,” it’s no wonder that when Putin talked about his trip to Kyiv, he referred to the anonymous visitor as “our colleague” — presidents usually do not speak about businessmen this way. Abramovich has been an integral and important part of Putin’s system for 26 years. He was a deputy of the State Duma and even the governor of one of the federation’s subjects — Chukotka, which means a government official, not just some entrepreneur. Since the ’90s, he has been considered someone responsible for preserving the regime’s assets. This is why Abramovich can call Putin, and Putin can call Abramovich. Not every “businessman” has such a phone connection with Putin.
We will not try to understand who initiated the trip. Kyiv and Moscow will have opposing versions in this regard. However, even if we agree with the Russian version, that Zelensky invited Abramovich to the Ukrainian capital, the very fact that Putin allowed the oligarch to go already indicates the Russian president’s interest in dialogue. But what kind of dialogue?
The main problem of the Russian-Ukrainian dialogue is the perception of reality by the parties. If Zelensky may think that Ukrainian strikes on Russia might convince Putin to agree to peace, or at least a truce along the front line, Putin might hold a completely different view on the development of events. From his point of view, the Russian army continues to advance, Russian ballistics and other missiles continue to destroy, and the Americans are bogged down in the Middle East, clearly not in a position to help Ukraine.
Zelensky was ready to present Abramovich with a picture of reality. Putin was ready to see through the oligarch if Zelensky was prepared to capitulate. Of course, this is the very picture we witnessed during the last summit in the “Normandy format” in Paris in December 2019, when Zelensky and Putin met. And it’s the very picture observed in 2022 during the negotiations in Istanbul. And it’s the same picture observed again in attempts to start negotiations after Trump’s victory. Ukraine always offers Russia a picture of reality, while Putin always wants to understand when Kyiv will capitulate. This is a real Groundhog Day!
However, it cannot be said that nothing changes. In 2022, or even in 2025, no one could imagine such strikes on Russia and that the war would take place on the territory of both countries, creating prospects for the gradual destruction of Russian military-industrial complex and oil refineries. The fact that Putin is ready for his own oligarch’s mission in Kyiv means that he is also seeking ways to pause the war and minimize losses — on his own terms, perhaps, but still seeking.
The only question is whether Putin will at some point be ready for such a pause not on the terms of Ukrainian capitulation, but on fair conditions. At the moment, such possibilities seem unlikely, and Roman Abramovich’s trip to the Ukrainian capital only confirmed this.
However, if Ukrainian strikes on Russia prove effective enough, and Ukraine gains additional opportunities to defend itself from Russian attacks, the situation where Putin begins to back away from his maximalist demands may look more realistic. And even more realistic may be a situation of the gradual “fading” of the war over the next months or years without serious negotiations or the signing of any binding agreements.
