Russia-Ukraine war: Abramovich spotted in Istanbul peace talks

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has appeared at peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.

He was seen talking to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is mediating in the talks in Istanbul.

Reports surfaced hours earlier that Mr Abramovich and two Ukrainian negotiators had shown poisoning symptoms after talks in early March.

Mr Abramovich is known to have spent weeks in a mediation role, flying between Moscow and Kyiv.

The Chelsea football club owner was said to have suffered sore eyes and peeling skin, but had now recovered, reports say.

A Wall Street Journal report suggested he and the Ukrainian negotiators had been targeted by Russian hardliners in Kyiv on 3 March, but a Ukrainian presidential official later said the two Ukrainians were fine and one had said the story was false.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov poured scorn on the report on Tuesday as untrue and part of an “information war”.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, however, told national TV hours before the talks that he had advised his colleagues attending negotiations with Russia not to eat or drink anything.

The talks in Istanbul got under way early