Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly shared a reply message to a peace broker with a note of conditions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "Tell him I'll thrash him."
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who has been acting as an unofficial envoy between the nations, carried a note from Zelenskyy outlining what the Ukrainians would consider to achieve peace to Putin in Moscow earlier this month, London's The Times reported Tuesday.
The Russian leader, however, responded by saying he would "thrash" Zelenskyy, according to the report.
Business Insider reported Abramovich was spotted in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday to continue talks trying to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Throwing a damper on the whole situation, members from the Russian delegation reportedly "experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons," including Abramovich, during a meeting between the sides March 3, the Netherlands-based news organization Bellingcat tweeted Tuesday.
"Abramovich, along with another Russian entrepreneur, had taken part in the negotiations alongside Ukraine's MP Rustem Umerov. The negotiation round on the afternoon of March 3 took place on Ukrainian territory, and lasted until about 10 p.m.," the news organization said. "Three members of the negotiating team retreated to an apartment in Kyiv later that night and felt initial symptoms — including eye and skin inflammation and piercing pain in the eyes — later that night. The symptoms did not abate until the morning."
According to the investigative news outlet, the Russian delegation members who felt the symptoms asked for an investigation.
"Based on remote and on-site examinations, the experts concluded that the symptoms are most likely the result of international poisoning with an undefined chemical weapon," the outlet reported. "According to two consulted chemical weapons experts and a doctor, the symptoms were most consistent with variants of porphyrin, organophosphates, or bicyclic substances. A definitive determination was not possible due to the absence of specialized laboratory equipment near the victims."
The news organization reported the experts believe the dosage used was just enough to scare the victims and not meant to threaten their lives.
The organization also said it did not report on the incident sooner out of concern for the victims and the position they were in regarding the negotiations.
"Bellingcat is an independent international collective of researchers, investigators, and citizen journalists using open source and social media investigation to probe a variety of subjects — from Mexican drug lords and crimes against humanity, to tracking the use of chemical weapons and conflicts worldwide," the organization's website reads. "With staff and contributors in more than 20 countries around the world, we operate in a unique field where advanced technology, forensic research, journalism, investigations, transparency, and accountability come together."