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Abramovich took part in initial stage of negotiations with Ukraine — Kremlin

According to Dmitry Peskov, now the negotiations are going on between Russian and Ukrainan negotiating teams

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Businessman Roman Abramovich took part in the initial stage of negotiations with Ukraine, now they are continuing at the level of delegations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"Indeed, he (Abramovich) participated at the initial stage. Now the negotiations are going on between the two negotiating teams: the Russian and Ukrainian teams," Peskov said.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky during one of his phone conversations with his US counterpart Joe Biden allegedly asked him not to impose sanctions against the Russian businessman. According to the newspaper, which refers to people familiar with the content of the conversation, Zelensky's request was related to the fact that Abramovich could become an important mediator in negotiations with Russia.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. The Russian side demands the demilitarization and denationalization of Ukraine, the neutral and non-nuclear status of this state, the recognition of Russian ownership of Crimea and the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.

Russian-Ukrainian talks began on February 28 in Belarus, and after that the sides met in person twice more. Now the work continues in the video format. The Russian delegation is led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky.

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