At least three members of the delegation attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia had experienced symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Kyiv in the first days of March, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The alleged poisoned negotiators are Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and at least two members of the Ukrainian delegation, including Ukrainian lawmaker Rustem Umerov. Following the meeting in Kyiv, delegates developed symptoms that included red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands, the WSJ states referring to its sources. The lives of the delegates were not in danger, the experts said.
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The investigative journalism group Bellingcat confirmed that three members of the peace talk delegations "experienced symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons" on the night of 3 to 4 March 2022.
"A Bellingcat investigator was asked to help provide an examination by chemical weapons specialists. 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."
Though Bellingcat experts said the alleged attack was not life-threatening due to the dosage and type of toxin, and most likely was intended to scare the victims as opposed to cause permanent damage. Bellingcat noted that the group chose not to report this story earlier due to concern about the safety of the victims.
Later, a source close to Roman Abramovich told the BBC he had suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning. They said he had now recovered and was continuing with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal states that the victims blamed the suspected attack on hard-liners in Moscow who they said wanted to sabotage talks to end the war. While Bellingcat said that the victims said they were not aware of who might have had an interest in an attack.
It should be noted, that previously, precisely on March 23, the WSJ published another story in connection with Abramovich. Referring to their sources, the magazine stated that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call with US President Joe Biden asked not to sanction the Russian oligarch. The reason is that Abramovich "might prove important as a go-between with Russia in helping to negotiate peace." And the White House’s National Security Council did actually tell the Treasury to hold off, as the WSJ pointed out.
Neither President Biden's administration nor the Presidential Office of Ukraine commented on the issue.
As Defense Express reported, the next round of face-to-face is about to begin these days in Istanbul, Turkiye. The negotiations will take place on March 28-30, with the first actual start on March 29. As of the time this story is written, both Ukrainian and Russian delegations are currently on the way to the Turkish capital.
Defense Express recalls, that the first round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia was arranged on February 26, just two days since the start of the invasion, and took place two days later in Belarus. Since then, the negotiations moved to Turkiye. As the Adviser to the Presidential Office of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak noted, the Russian side has significantly softened its rhetorics. The main points of discussion are a ceasefire, full withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine, NATO aspirations of Ukraine, and humanitarian issues.
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