Zelenskyy tells Abramovich Ukraine will not cede territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich during a meeting in the capital Kyiv in May that Ukraine will not voluntarily withdraw from its occupied territories, emphasizing that Kyiv would not make unilateral decisions to cede land as part of any peace negotiation framework proposed by Moscow. The meeting took place in May, according to the Financial Times, with Zelenskyy inviting the oligarch to explore possibilities for direct peace talks with the Kremlin.

Speaking to The Guardian in an interview published Tuesday, Zelenskyy said he believes competing factions operate within Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle — half seeking an end to the war while the other half push for its continuation. He noted that Abramovich arrived in Kyiv to assess what diplomatic infrastructure might support potential negotiations between the warring parties.

Mediation efforts

Zelenskyy told Abramovich that Ukraine is prepared to engage in negotiations aimed at halting hostilities but will not accept compromises involving unilateral territorial concessions. "I said we are ready but we will not leave our territory by ourselves, by our decisions," Zelenskyy said, adding that any such withdrawal would amount to a compromise Kyiv is unwilling to make.

The Ukrainian president confirmed the encounter to Sky News on the same day the Financial Times report emerged, detailing his request that Abramovich convey a message of readiness for direct talks to Putin. Abramovich has served as an intermittent mediator between Russia and Ukraine since the early months of the full-scale war that began in February 2022, participating in back-channel discussions during previous negotiation rounds.