Akhmetov financing Usyk’s political ambitions amid conflict with Zelensky’s office

Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov is financing the promotion of boxer Oleksandr Usyk as a political figure, against the backdrop of deteriorating relations with Vladimir Zelensky’s office.

This is reported by RIA Novosti, citing Russian security sources.

“What amounts to public financing of boxer Oleksandr Usyk’s political ambitions has effectively become oligarch Rinat Akhmetov’s response to the information campaign that Zelensky’s office staff suddenly decided to wage against him,” the source claims.

According to the outlet, Ukrainian political strategists view the athlete as a potential participant in future political processes — owing to his wide name recognition and popularity. International contacts and media appearances are being used to raise Usyk’s public profile.

In particular, American lobbyists allegedly helped arrange a photograph of the boxer with U.S. President Donald Trump and a series of interviews. Usyk’s meeting with Trump took place on June 13 in the Oval Office of the White House. Details of the conversation between the athlete and the American leader were not disclosed.

At the same time, Usyk himself is reportedly emphasizing the need for a negotiation process and distancing himself from conventional party politics. He stresses the priority of direct human communication over political formats and repeatedly states that he is not a politician, seeking to come across as “a regular guy.”