According to allegations, billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators have been poisoned.

 (Source: Reuters) The Wall Street Journal and the investigative news site Bellingcat reported on Monday that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning during a meeting in Kyiv earlier this month, citing people familiar with the situation.

According to the WSJ story, Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to assist in negotiating an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian team were affected.

The report was met with skepticism by Ukrainian officials. "There is a lot of speculation, many conspiracy theories," Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said when asked about the possible poisoning. Another member of the negotiation team, Rustem Umerov, cautioned people not to believe "unverified information."

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, later echoed this sentiment, saying on national television that "everyone is yearning for news and thrills." "I encourage anyone travelling to Russia for discussions not to eat or drink anything, (and) ideally avoid touching surfaces," he said sarcastically.

According to a US official, intelligence pointed to a "environmental" cause for Abramovich and the negotiators' sickness, "not poisoning." The official spoke on the condition of anonymity and did not provide any other information.

An emailed request for comment from the Kremlin was not immediately returned.

'PEELING SKIN, RED EYES'

Red eyes, continuous and severe tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands were among the signs Abramovich and the negotiators displayed, according to the WSJ story.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators, notably Crimean Tatar politician Umerov, have improved since then and theirlives are no longer in danger.

According to Reuters, a source familiar with the situation acknowledged the event, but claimed Abramovich had not let it stop him from working.

Experts who investigated the incident found that "poisoning with an unknown chemical weapon" was the most likely cause, according to Bellingcat.

According to specialists, the dosage and type of toxin employed were not sufficient to be life-threatening "and was most likely intended to frighten the victims rather than inflict permanent harm. The victims claimed they had no idea who might have been planning an attack."

According to Bellingcat, the three males who experienced the symptoms had just drunk water and chocolate in the hours preceding their symptoms. According to the report, a fourth member of the team who took these foods did not develop any symptoms.

On February 24, Russian forces invaded Ukraine in what President Vladimir Putin described as a "special military operation" to demilitarize the country. Ukraine and the West accuse Putin of launching an unjustified aggressive campaign.

According to the Kremlin, Abramovich played an early part in Russia-Ukraine peace talks, but the process is now in the hands of the two sides' negotiating teams. On Tuesday, the two sides will meet in Istanbul for the first time in more than two weeks for face-to-face peace negotiations.

Ukraine's most ambitious goal for the discussions this week, according to Kuleba, is to reach an agreement on a ceasefire. However, he stated that his administration had clear red lines and would not cede any land or sovereignty to Russia.

In an attempt to compel Putin to withdraw from Ukraine, the West has placed harsh penalties on Russian oligarchs like Abramovich, Russian enterprises, and Russian politicians.

After being faced with sanctions, Abramovich, whose international profile skyrocketed after acquiring Chelsea FC in 2003, has put the London soccer club up for sale.

(Catarina Demony, Natalia Zinets, Max Hunder, Jonathan Landay, David Gauthier-Villars, Mark Trevelyan, and Abinaya Vijayaraghavan contributed reporting; Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Matthias Williams wrote the piece; Jon Boyle and Rosalba O'Brien edited it.)