Former owner of English football club Chelsea Roman Abramovich has blocked the transfer of money to Ukraine from the sale of the club in 2022, despite an ultimatum from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, The Times reports.
The funds, amounting to approximately £2.3-2.5 billion, received from the sale of Chelsea to a consortium of investors, remain frozen in UK accounts due to sanctions imposed on Abramovich after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Starmer is officially demanding that the businessman transfer the entire amount to humanitarian causes to help Ukraine. He said the government had issued a special license to transfer the funds and was prepared to go to court to enforce the obligations.
However, Abramovich has refused to comply with this demand. According to The Times, he rejected the ultimatum and initiated preparations for legal defense, engaging high-profile lawyers, including a former White House adviser, to defend his position.
According to Abramovich’s representatives, he believes he has legal grounds to challenge the transfer of funds on the terms proposed by London. In particular, he insists that the money should be distributed not only to Ukraine, but also to “potentially other victims of the war,” which is met with objections from the British government and the EU.
The UK government insists that the funds should be used exclusively to help Ukraine and continues to put pressure on Abramovich through political and legal mechanisms.
