The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked President Biden in a phone call earlier this month to hold off on sanctioning Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Sources told the Journal that Zelensky advised Biden to wait on the sanctions because Abramovich is trying to act as a mediator in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The report said that the Treasury Department had sanctions for Abramovich drawn up but was told by the White House’s National Security Council to hold off.
The UK and EU have already sanctioned Abramovich despite his pledges to help Ukrainians. Abramovich owns the Chelsea Football Club and vowed to sell it and donate the profits to Ukrainian victims of the war, but that wasn’t enough for London.
It’s not clear exactly what role Abramovich has been playing as a go-between in the conflict, and a spokesperson for the Russian billionaire wouldn’t elaborate in comments to the Journal. “For the negotiations, and in the interest of them succeeding, it is not helpful commenting on the process nor on Mr. Abramovich’s involvement,” the spokesperson said.
“As previously stated, based on requests, including from Jewish organizations in Ukraine, he has been doing all he can to support efforts aimed at restoring peace as soon as possible,” the spokesperson added.
According to flight tracking data, Abramovich’s jets have flown between Israel, Turkey, and Russia in recent weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has acted as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky, and Turkey recently hosted the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers for talks. Abramovich holds Russian, Portuguese, and Israeli citizenship.
To quote veteran diplomat John McEnroe “You cannot be serious man!”
He is not serious. But his demand is serious and will get away with it.I don’t think he himself is serious about any thing. but those who set up this clown are serious
Just another attempt to stall the “negotiations”, excuse me, surrender, until the US can get Poland to intervene in Ukraine and get a general war started. Not going to work. I repeat, there ARE NO “negotiations”. Russia has presented surrender terms. Period. End of story. Either Ukraine accepts them or Russia creates them on the ground.
I hope we’re not going to go through the same crap as we did with the alleged JCPOA “negotiations.”
With billions in assets held hostage by the West, Abramovich is obviously financially compromised and cannot be a neutral intermediary.
There’s nothing he can do and little reason for the Russian side especially to take what he says seriously as not an attempt to save the Abramovich financial empire from being pillaged by cash-hungry Western governments.
This is when rich start canibalising each other.
So much for the ssnctity of private property.
Unlike the sacred PROLETARIAN WORKERS who surely never attack each other. Except all street crime is committed by working-class men, but we must not mention “class” then. Only when someone wealthy does something. AHA! is cuz he a CAPITALIST!!!
I wholeheartedly agree with you. My point is that when the smart ones, the rulers — I do not care what “class” they beling to — start fighting aming each other, we all suffet. The problem with the smart ones is — they are too smart by half. They think they sre begged to come from Gault Gulch strike to lead us unwashed imto the rationality of selfidhneds.
But for the smarts they possess to rule the uselesd esters, looters of their work — they have been punished by having no empathy. They are empty beings obsessed by power. And when no working class exists any more, how to justify their failure? They had cree reign for a while, decided everything but wheather. What now? Fault mudt be found. Fellow travelers, Russians, Chinese, Martians.
I woud be happy if they kept nukes n away from our heads,
We in the middle class are the real targets, though.
Going after super-rich is just for show and to ‘normalize’ wealth seizures. The truly politically connected super-rich and their top technocrats will have the true power.
The middle class that does all the real work will be the real victims as usual, caught between the desperately poor and desperately rich. Americans should heed their northern neighbors; they will be next.
Some Canadian Truckers still haven’t had their FINTRAC-locked bank accounts released yet, and the autocratic Trudeau government still hasn’t lifted Federal COVID-1984 restrictions against the unvaxxed.
American Presidents have long envied the power of a Canadian Prime Minister.
With the Trudeau Liberals and Singh NDP forming some sort of power-sharing agreement till 2025, Canada and Canadians will be an object lesson in de-Enlightenment, anti-rights culture.
This wouldn’t have anything to do with Zelensky trying to sway the Israelis to his side and Israel- weeks ago- having specifically requested Abramovich not be sanctioned, now would it? It wouldn’t have anything to do with him being a major financial contributor to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, would it? It wouldn’t have anything to do with Zelensky playing the ‘Hey, I’m Jewish!’ card, would it?
Bring in the clowns Zelensky and Biden.
How much was it that Hunter Biden was paid by Ukrainian criminals that he failed to report on his tax returns?
It is not Sleeping Joe Biden or Jester Zelesky. Both innocent oafs, set up by others
True, there are usually power brokers behind the screen manipulating their puppet politicians. Very weak politicians like Joe Biden and ignorant politicians like Zelensky are excessively subject to manipulation.
Oafs, but not innocent.
Agreed.But both their handlers are same and they are serious. Deadly serious
“Zelensky Asked Biden Not to Sanction Russian Billionaire Abramovich in Order to Facilitate Peace Talks”
Real comedy from a real time comedian
Who prompted the comedian to make this request?. Newlnd, Sullivan Blinken ?
But one thing you can expect. Peace or war, in all likelihood comedian’s wish will be granted by sleeping Joe. For obvious reasons
Abramovich was probably a doner to Zelensky’s political party and campaign.
Probable? Or Certain?These tribe will finance every one. He might have been financing Biden and Trump at the same time.Probably he might have had a hand even in foisting Biden himself on Americans. Who knows.The gullible go and vote
Trumpians got no new wars and COVID-1984/vax freedom by state.