On the 3rd of March peace talks took place along the Ukraine-Belarus border. Where three delegates experienced symptoms associated with nerve agent poisoning. The delegates affected by the suspected poisoning included two Ukrainian negotiators and Russian businessman, Roman Abramovich.
Roman Abramovich’s Role
The Russian billionaire reportedly played an early role in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Although the process is now in the hands of the two countries’ negotiating teams.
Yet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes Abramovich could still aid in negotiating a peace deal with Moscow. For this reason he has reportedly asked US President Joe Biden to hold off on sanctioning Abramovich. In fact, President Zelensky has received offers of support from a few Russian businessmen and not just Abramovich. Telling journalists that the businessmen had said they wanted to “do something” and “help somehow” to de-escalate the situation.
Symptoms Experienced
After the meeting on the 3rd of March Abramovich and the two Ukrainian negotiators developed symptoms associated with poisoning. Including red, itchy and sore eyes, as well as inflamed and peeling skin. The symptoms lasted all night, although, the conditions of the three delegates improved and their lives were not in danger.
According to the investigative website Bellingcat, these symptoms correlate with those of nerve agent poisoning. Bellingcat also added that none of them had consumed anything more than chocolate and water.
Was it a Poisoning Attack on Ukrainian Negotiators?
It is not yet clear if this was in fact a subtle attack of poisoning. One report surmises that it was a poisoning attack organised by Russian hardliners who wanted to sabotage the talks. Furthermore, Christo Grozev, an investigator with open-source collective Bellingcat believes it was a poisoning attack but “It was not intended to kill, it was just a warning”.
While a US official reportedly claims that intelligence suggested the men’s symptoms were due to “environmental” factors, rather than poisoning. In another instance, a Ukrainian official told the BBC that the members of the Ukrainian delegation were “fine”, while one had said the story was “false”.
While reports are varying the causes cannot yet be determined, since no samples could be collected in time for forensic experts to detect poison.
Advice from the Minister of Foreign Affairs
As fresh peace talks begin in Turkey today, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, warns negotiators not to eat or drink anything. He states, “I advise anyone going to negotiations with the Russian Federation not to eat or drink anything and preferably to avoid touching surfaces”.