"The British government on Wednesday said it was giving Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich a "final chance" to donate 2.5 billion pounds (roughly $3.4 billion or 2.85 billion) to Ukraine from the 2022 sale of Chelsea Football Club, or face legal action. The funds have been frozen since Abramovich hastily sold the club in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine."
"Two successive British governments and Abramovich have been locked in a dispute over how to use the football funds for years. The UK is calling for them to be donated to humanitarian causes inside Ukraine, while Abramovich argues it should go to "all victims" of the war, including those in Russia."
"The government alluded to past commitments from Abramovich, made amid intense scrutiny of the sale so soon after Russia's invasion, to donate the proceeds to charitable causes. "It's unacceptable that more than 2.5 billion of money owed to the Ukrainian people can be allowed to remain frozen in a UK bank account. It's time for Roman Abramovich to pay up," Chancellor of the Exchequer (the equivalent to a finance minister) Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday. She and Prime Minsiter Keir Starmer both threatened legal action in the case of non-compliance. "This government is prepared to enforce it through the courts so that every penny reaches those whose lives have been torn apart by Putin's illegal war," Starmer said."
The UK government has given Roman Abramovich a final chance to donate £2.5 billion from the 2022 Chelsea sale to Ukraine, or face legal proceedings. The funds remain frozen after Abramovich hurriedly sold the club following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Successive UK governments have contested how the money should be used, requesting donations for humanitarian aid inside Ukraine while Abramovich insists the money should benefit "all victims" of the war, including Russians. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer threatened court action, though the government did not specify the legal basis for seizing the funds.
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