Oligarch Roman Abramovich persuaded the Russian government to hold peace talks over Zoom instead of in Belarus despite Kremlin's security concerns, report says

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, persuaded the Kremlin to allow meetings between the two countries.

David Arakhamia told the Journal that Russia wanted negotiations to be held in-person in the country. The billionaire was able to convince the Russians to spare the Ukrainian delegation an overnight journey.

The exchange is one example of the different ways thatAbramovich has served as a middleman during conflict resolution between the two countries.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the businessman who is currently under UK and EU sanctions is involved in ensuring contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian sides.

The peace talks were held in Istanbul. While both Russia and Ukraine have approved the involvement of a businessman, he is not an official member of the delegation.

The use of the video conferencing application in the peace negotiations was the subject of a request by Insider.

The Journal's report, which is based on conversations with Ukrainian officials, including Arakhamia, comes amid growing scrutiny of the oligarch's unconventional role in the conflict resolution process.

Ukranian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, recently told the BBC that he had no idea why Abramovich was in Istanbul.

I don't know what Mr. Abramovich is doing. He is not a part of the negotiation team.