Zelenskyy confirms Abramovich meeting to exchange messages with Putin, repeats Merz error during UK visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed his May meeting in Kyiv with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, stating the oligarch acted as an intermediary to exchange messages with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy told Sky News that Abramovich arrived in Kyiv to deliver a message directly from Putin and sought to convey Ukraine's response back to the Russian leader, with a request for the meeting to remain private. This confirmation follows earlier reports from an informed government source.

Separately, President Zelenskyy arrived in the United Kingdom on June 7 for scheduled talks. He reiterated via Telegram his participation in bilateral discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and an E3+Ukraine format meeting, again naming French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Starmer, and 'German Chancellor Friedrich Merz'. Media outlets again noted that Friedrich Merz is the leader of Germany's opposition CDU party, not the current Chancellor.

Sources: Громадське, Суспільне Новини, Радіо Свобода, Українська правда