Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators ‘poisoned’ at peace talks, report says.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich suffered a suspected poisoning along with Ukrainian peace negotiators earlier this month after meeting in Kyiv, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Abramovich and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian delegation developed symptoms that included red eyes, peeling of the skin on their faces and hands, and constant and painful tearing, sources familiar with the matter told WSJ. Abramovich also ‘went blind for several hours’ and was treated at a hospital in Turkey.

Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea FC who has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, accepted a request by Ukraine at the end of February to help negotiate an end to Putin’s invasion days after it began on Feb. 24.

The suspected poisoning attack was blamed on hardliners in Moscow who wanted to sabotage talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, sources told WSJ.

Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators including Crimean Tatar lawmaker Rustem Umerov, have since recovered and their lives are not in danger.

Western officials are reportedly trying to determine whether the poisoning was carried out using a chemical or biological agent or by a type of electromagnetic radiation attack.

According to Bellingcat, a news site based in Netherlands, a team of investigators in Istanbul, Turkey concluded that their symptoms were consistent with poisoning caused by a chemical weapon.

Chemical weapons experts said the symptoms seemed to suggest that the officials were targeted with porphyrin, organophosphates, or bicyclic substances. The attackers deliberately used a low dose to frighten the targets rather than to cause permanent, irreversible damage, Bellingcat reported.

Despite the incident, the Russian billionaire is said to still be interested in mediating. He is currently in Turkey where a new round of peace talks are set to resume on Tuesday, according to the Independent.