Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the Biden administration not to sanction Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in an effort to facilitate peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
Abramovich, who has called for a peaceful resolution to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, was planned to be hit by President Joe Biden's tranche of sanctions on wealthy Russians worldwide, but Zelenskyy asked Biden for leniency in at least Abramovich's case, The Wall Street Journal reported in an exclusive.
Abramovich reportedly is a potential useful go-between for Zelenskyy and the Kremlin, so Zelenskyy asked Biden in a recent phone call to hold off on sanctioning Abramovich, sources told the Journal.
"We are not going to read out private conversations between President Biden and President Zelenskyy," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne told the Journal.
While the details were shared anonymously, the White House, Treasury Department, Ukraine president's office, the Ukraine Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Abramovich's camp have yet to confirm the news of sanctions in this case, according to the report.
"For the negotiations, and in the interest of them succeeding, it is not helpful commenting on the process nor on Mr. Abramovich's involvement," an Abramovich spokesperson told the Journal in a statement. "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 plans to sanction Abramovich is not unique to the Biden administration, as the U.K. and the European Union have signed off on Abramovich being targeted to have assets frozen worldwide.
Abramovich, a Kremlin insider for decades, is a billionaire and former oil magnate, owning London's Chelsea Football Club, the Journal reported.
Abramovich is also a minority owner in Evraz PLC, which runs steel plants in Oregon and Colorado, although those business could be exempt in the sanctions plan, according to the Journal.