Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a major prisoner exchange on Wednesday as two days of U.S.-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi concluded without a broader breakthrough on ending the war. Following the negotiations, U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow early Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, before heading to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meetings in the United Arab Emirates marked the first direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in nine months, following an unsuccessful round in Geneva in February. While officials from all three sides described the discussions as constructive, fundamental disagreements over territory and security guarantees prevented any agreement on a ceasefire.
Details of the prisoner exchange
Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led Moscow's delegation, both confirmed the agreement to conduct a large-scale swap of prisoners of war. Neither delegation disclosed an exact figure or date, stating that teams were working to finalize the practical implementation.
Kushner, who also serves as an adviser and son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump, told reporters in Abu Dhabi that the agreement would result in the "biggest humanitarian release of prisoners" since the conflict began more than four and a half years ago, adding that the exact numbers would be finalized on Thursday.
Russian state news agency TASS, citing Russian Lt. Gen. Alexander Zorin, reported that the swap could take place within the next two to three weeks and involve more than 1,000 captives from each side. Earlier in the week, Zelenskyy said negotiators had discussed formats of 1,000-for-1,000 or 1,500-for-1,500. A similar 1,000-for-1,000 exchange was carried out over three days in May 2025 following talks in İstanbul, while the most recent swap on Oct. 23 saw 270 people returned to each country.
Territorial disputes and security guarantees
Beyond the humanitarian agreement, the two warring sides remained far apart on core political and military issues. Umerov said the delegations discussed security arrangements, post-war reconstruction and economic recovery, emphasizing that ending the war and establishing firm security guarantees for Ukraine must be the first step.
Medinsky told Russian state media that the talks centered on a potential future European security framework. "On some points we reached a common understanding, whilst on others we did not," Medinsky said. However, he explicitly ruled out any territorial concessions or land swaps with Ukraine, reiterating Moscow's demand that its territorial claims in eastern and southern Ukraine be recognized. "As for territorial issues, every inch of our land will be returned to Russia, one way or another," he told reporters.
Kushner acknowledged the deep divide between the delegations after the final two-hour session ended on Wednesday. "The reality is there is no trust right now between the sides and that is to be expected after a conflict like this," Kushner said, noting that territorial disputes remained the most difficult issue to resolve. Addressing the prospect of a direct summit between Putin and Zelenskyy, Kushner told Euronews that "we have a little bit more work we need to do to get there and we are pushing a boulder uphill."
Shuttle diplomacy in Moscow and Dublin
Representative delegations from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the European Union and NATO were also present in Abu Dhabi. While they held separate consultations with Ukrainian and American officials, they did not participate in the trilateral sessions with Russia. Medinsky confirmed his team had no contact with the European envoys, questioning in what capacity they had traveled to the UAE.
In Kyiv, senior lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team, called for future rounds to be expanded into a multilateral format that formally includes European representatives. Arakhamia said the Abu Dhabi meetings had generated momentum toward finding a diplomatic solution before the end of the year and urged for the next round of talks to be scheduled quickly.
Kushner and Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday morning for talks with Putin to review the Abu Dhabi discussions. Following the Kremlin meeting, the U.S. envoys are scheduled to fly to Ireland to debrief Zelenskyy, who is in Dublin attending a European Political Community summit on Thursday ahead of an informal meeting of EU leaders on Friday.
