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Ministers 'may sue Abramovich' over £2bn Ukraine aid deadlock
The Guardian
|March 07, 2025
Ministers are preparing to take Roman Abramovich to court in a final bid to free up more than £2bn from the sale of Chelsea FC to spend as aid in Ukraine, the Guardian has learned.
Officials say ministers are increasingly frustrated by the failure to reach an agreement with the sanctioned Russian oligarch about how the money should be spent.
No final decision has yet been taken, but the British government is so desperate to access the money that it is ready to fight a public court battle with one of the world's richest people. Ministers are looking for ways to keep money flowing to Ukraine after Donald Trump froze US military aid.
One source said: "The sense within government is that we are heading towards the courts over this. There is a fundamental disagreement with Abramovich himself over where the money can be spent, and it seems the law is going to be the only way to resolve that."
This story is from the March 07, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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