Russia and Ukraine agree to prisoner swap, no peace breakthrough in Abu Dhabi talks

Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a major prisoner-of-war exchange after two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi concluded on Wednesday, but the discussions produced no major breakthrough toward ending the war.

The talks were the first trilateral meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. delegations since February. U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff mediated the discussions, which focused on postwar security arrangements, the future of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, and whether European countries should take part in negotiations.

Prisoner exchange

Russia and Ukraine confirmed they had agreed in principle to what Kushner described as the largest prisoner exchange of the war. Russian envoy Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian delegation leader Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement, though Medinsky said it was reached “in principle.”

Kushner said officials would finalize the number of prisoners to be released on Thursday. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed a preliminary agreement but said the exact number and timeline were yet to be determined. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Kyiv and Moscow could exchange up to 1,500 prisoners each. Alexander Zorin, first deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, told state television that the goal was to exceed 1,000 on each side, using last year’s exchange of 1,000 people as the benchmark.

No breakthrough on territory or security

There was no immediate sign of a breakthrough on the central issues. Medinsky said “every inch of our land will be returned to Russia. One way or another,” and reiterated that Russia holds a historical claim to parts of Ukraine and remains determined to seize more territory. Putin’s demands include that Ukraine withdraw from the remainder of the frontline Donbas region under its control as well as two other regions partially occupied by Russia.

Kushner said there had been “significant progress” on security guarantees for Ukraine, and Umerov said there had been “huge progress” on security issues but gave no details. Kushner said no agreement could be reached until the sides settled their territorial dispute.

Europe’s role

Russia has opposed European involvement in direct talks. Russian delegates did not communicate with European officials present in Abu Dhabi, who held separate talks only with the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations. Medinsky said Russia does not understand what status European representatives had at the talks.

Kushner said European countries would need to be involved in discussions about security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia, and that the U.S. team would seek to include European representatives in future talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European officials could join negotiations later but accused them of doing little to advance peace.

Next steps

Kushner and Witkoff were expected to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, then fly to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Fighting continued during the talks. Three people were killed and 11 injured in a Russian daytime attack on a market in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. Russian strikes overnight hit the Zaporizhzhia region and the eastern city of Kharkiv, injuring seven civilians. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 627 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 150 near St. Petersburg.

Why it matters

• The prisoner exchange is one of the few concrete results from the Abu Dhabi talks.
• Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on territory, with Moscow demanding Ukrainian concessions and Kyiv rejecting them.
• European involvement in future negotiations remains unresolved, with Russia opposing direct participation.
• U.S. envoys will travel to Moscow and Dublin to continue separate discussions with Putin and Zelenskyy.

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Sources

• ft.com: Ukraine peace talks end with prisoner swap but no breakthrough
• fox17.com: Russia, Ukraine agree to major POW swap, but peace talks end without breakthrough
• nbcnews.com: Russia and Ukraine agree to a large prisoner exchange as talks conclude with no major breakthrough
• cbs2iowa.com: Russia, Ukraine agree to major POW swap, but peace talks end without breakthrough
• themoscowtimes.com: Abu Dhabi Talks End With Prisoner Exchange But No Peace Breakthrough - The Moscow Times
• meduza.io: Russia–Ukraine peace talks conclude in Abu Dhabi with prisoner exchange agreement but no breakthrough on territory — Meduza

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.