Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in Belarus assisting peace talks with Ukraine and Russia
- Planet Sport writer
- 28 February 2022
The Russian-Israeli billionaire recently handed over stewardship of the club following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and he is now in Belarus aiding the ongoing peace talks.
Chelsea recently released a statement regarding the conflict in Ukraine, which involved Abramovich handing over "stewardship of care" in order to protect the London-based side.
It came under fire, with Jamie Carragher among others criticising the club's poor handling of the situation. The former Liverpool star labelled the statement as "embarassing", but it's since been revealed that Abramovich is assisting peace talks to help end Russia's invasion.
Both Russia and Ukraine are holding peace talks in Belarus, and Abramovich's spokesperson says the Chelsea owner is involved in such talks.
"I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since.
"Considering what is at stake, we would ask for your understanding as to why we have not commented on neither the situation as such nor his involvement. Thank you."
Famed Ukrainian film director and producer Alexander Rodnyansky was in the news yesterday after being caught up in the conflict at Kiev, and he has since confirmed Abramovich's involvement.
"I can confirm that the Ukrainian side have been trying to find someone in Russia willing to help them in finding a peaceful resolution," said Rodnyansky.
"They are connected to Roman Abramovich through the Jewish community and reached out to him for help.
"Roman Abramovich has been trying to mobilize support for a peaceful resolution ever since. Although Roman Abramovich's influence is limited, he is the only one who responded and taken it upon himself to try.
"If this will have an impact or not, I don't know, but I am in contact with Volodymyr Zelensky's staff myself, and know that they are grateful for his genuine efforts."
Abramovich announced he was stepping down on Saturday night, leaving Bruce Buck as the senior figure in charge of Chelsea's day-to-day running.
While it's a major change at the top of Chelsea's board, club manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed it hasn't impacted him or his squad too much.
The German coach answered questions following the Blues' Carabao Cup loss on Sunday, and insisted that he still reports to director Marina Granovskaia and first team technical director Petr Cech.
