Roman Abramovich and Ukraine peace negotiators ‘poisoned with skin peeling off’

We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story

Ukrainian peace negotiators reportedly suffered ‘poisoning’ symptoms after talks in Kyiv with Russia.

Roman Abramovich is said to have been among others who suffered red eyes and tearing and peeling skin.

The symptoms reportedly started after a meeting in the Ukrainian capital aimed at finding a peace agreement to bring an end to the war.

At least two senior members of the group involved in talks are said to have developed painful symptoms that mirrored the effects of a poisoning.

The suspected attack is reportedly being blamed on on hard-liners in Moscow who they said wanted to sabotage talks to end the war, reports the Wall Street Journal.

It is thought outgoing Chelsea FC owner Abramovich and other Ukrainian negotiators’ lives are not in danger and their condition has since improved.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has also met with Mr. Abramovich, but is said to be be affected, they said.

It comes after reports Abramovich gave Putin a handwritten note from Ukraine’s president Zelensky, prompting a savage reply from the Russian leader.

After relaying a message to Putin about potential terms of a peace agreement, Putin reportedly told Abramovich ‘tell him I will thrash them’.

Last week, the Kremlin has confirmed outgoing Chelsea owner was involved in early peace talks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports the Mail Online.

President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into the neighbouring country in late February, starting a bloody conflict which has been condemned by the vast majority of countries around the world.

The war in Ukraine led to heightened scrutiny of Russians living in the United Kingdom on so-called ‘Golden Visas’.

Abramovich was one such oligarch with assets worth billions in the UK, so claims he was playing a part in initial peace negotiations were met with surprise.

Those reports were not backed up by Russian government officials at the time but a Kremlin spokesperson has now confirmed the 55-year-old was involved.

“He did take part at the initial stage,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, said of Abramovich on Thursday. “Now the negotiations are between the two teams, the Russians and Ukrainians.”

Abramovich’s mother, Irina, was born in Ukraine and his daughter, Sofia, has posted on social media to declare it is only Putin who “wants a war with Ukraine”.