Tycoon Richard Branson announced his intention to meet with Russian President Vladmir Putin together with other business leaders in a bid to achieve a peaceful end to the Ukraine crisis.

Canada's Jeff Skoll, Unilever NV chief Paul Polman, Russian restaurant tycoon Arkady Novikov and Ukraine's Victor Pinchuk are among the powerful business people joining Branson in this effort. They are calling on governments to cooperate and help end the conflict in Ukraine, the Irish Examiner reported.

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In an interview via phone, Branson said they will request a meeting with Putin and discuss their view with him. The group may also seek an audience with European and Ukrainian leaders and put their "negotiating skills" to good use in the current situation.

The violence in the region has taken more than 2,000 lives as the Ukrainian army seeks to eradicate pro-Russian rebellion in the eastern portions of the country.

Ukraine, along with its allies in Europe and America, blame the Russian president for triggering the unrest. They also levied sanctions on the nation's energy and financial industries.

Russia, on the other hand, denied the accusations thrown against it and retaliated with bans on imported food.

Meanwhile, Branson said he already talked to almost 100 businesspeople based in Russia. He said they are all upset at the crisis.

Branson said the initiative partly stemmed from their fear of a Russian invasion in eastern Ukraine somewhere down the line. He said they have to do their part to make the leaders realize that the conflict could have a disastrous end.

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, PayPal's Max Levchin and former Kremlin economic adviser Igor Yurgens are among the other businessmen included in this initiative.

TagsRichard Branson, Russia, Ukraine, Jeff Skol, Paul Polman, Arkady Novikov, Vicror Pinchuk, Irish Examiner, Europe, Jan Koum, Max Levchin, Igor Yurgens