Putin said 'will thrash' Ukrainians, after Russian oligarch Abramovich goes to peace talks

He is one of the close aides of Putin and suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after a meeting in Kyiv

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, who is acting as an unofficial envoy for Moscow in talks with Ukraine, in an interview, said President Vladimir Putin told him that Russia would “thrash” the Ukrainians.

Putin’s reply reportedly came when Abramovich met the Russian president last week in Moscow and delivered a handwritten note from Zelenskyy outlining the conditions that were in consideration to reach a cease-fire agreement.

In an exclusive report published on Monday, The Times said Putin’s response was unequivocally clear: “Tell him I will thrash them.”