Russia and Ukraine Agree to Large Prisoner Exchange in Abu Dhabi Talks
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large prisoner exchange during trilateral talks hosted in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday according to bbc.co.uk.
The two-day mediation effort involving United States officials concluded without a broader breakthrough on ending Moscow’s nearly five-year-old invasion.
Hopes had remained low for any progress in the first meeting between the delegations in nine months. While both sides confirmed plans for the prisoner swap, they stayed far apart on fundamental terms for a permanent peace settlement.
“One of the positives is we agreed that we’re going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we’re going to finalize the numbers tomorrow,” said Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, after the Abu Dhabi talks ended.
The trilateral discussions in the United Arab Emirates lasted just under two hours on November 11, following a four-hour session the previous day. U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner led the American mediation alongside delegations headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, according to bbc.co.uk.
Alexander Zorin, a deputy chief of the General Staff’s information department, told Russian state TV that the upcoming swap would rank among the largest since 1,000 soldiers returned home last year, with the exchange anticipated within two or three weeks. Medinsky confirmed the agreement “in principle,” while Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as substantive and quite useful.
Despite the humanitarian progress, the sides disagree over territorial control and security guarantees. Kyiv maintains that a ceasefire must precede any discussions on territory, while Moscow demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of eastern Ukraine. Other central hurdles include postwar security guarantees and the formal role of European countries in an eventual settlement.
Moscow excluded European representatives from the direct three-way negotiations in the United Arab Emirates. Umerov said Kyiv’s delegation was expected to meet later Wednesday with representatives of European governments, the European Union, and NATO who were in Abu Dhabi but did not attend the three-way talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that European representatives could eventually join peace talks, though he added their current statements do not indicate any desire on their part to do so. Kushner said that one of the objectives of the upcoming trip to Moscow is to press for European inclusion in subsequent diplomatic stages.
“Ukraine’s priority is to end the war as soon as possible with a dignified peace,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X. “We believe that Europe must be represented at every stage of real diplomacy. It is essential that the United States have a strong position and exert influence on the source of this war — that is Russia.”
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the discussions in the Russian capital, the envoys will fly to Dublin to debrief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Ireland, according to bbc.co.uk.