Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly asked President Biden to hold off on imposing sanctions against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in the hope that the reputed crony of Vladimir Putin could act as a go-between in negotiating peace.

The US Treasury Department was asked by the White House to stand down on sanctioning the Russian billionaire Abramovich after Zelensky personally made his pitch to Biden during a recent phone conversation, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Officials at the Treasury Department prepared a package of sanctions against Abramovich that were timed to coincide with a parallel announcement from the European Union, the Journal reported.