ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Delegations from Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement in principle on Wednesday for a major prisoner of war exchange following two days of U.S.-mediated negotiations in Abu Dhabi, according to officials from all three countries. However, the first meetings between the two warring nations in nine months concluded without a breakthrough toward ending the nearly five-year war.
The talks, led on the U.S. side by President Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, focused heavily on humanitarian matters and post-war security arrangements. Kushner said after the meetings ended that negotiators agreed to what would be the largest humanitarian release of prisoners, with final numbers expected to be set on Thursday, CBS News reported. The planned exchange could involve more than 1,000 captives from each side and could take place within two to three weeks, according to Russian state television and reporting by The Guardian.
Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service who led Kyiv’s delegation, and Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, confirmed the preliminary agreement, NPR reported.
Territorial Disputes and Security Frameworks
Despite progress on the captive swap, significant obstacles remain regarding land control and future security. Russia continues to demand full control over the eastern Donbas region, including areas still held by Kyiv, as well as portions of two southern regions. Medinsky stated that every inch of land would be returned to Russia, according to The Guardian.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected calls for territorial concessions in exchange for partial security guarantees. “No one believes that Putin will stop if we give up the Donbas,” Zelenskyy said, as reported by CBS News, adding that a pause would only allow Moscow to attack again in the future.
Senior Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia described the Abu Dhabi session as “one of the hardest,” noting that the Russian team arrived with strict directives, BBC News reported. However, Arakhamia said there was progress regarding post-war security guarantees for Ukraine and expressed hope for momentum before the new year.
Kushner noted that while no trust currently exists between the two sides, the discussions aimed to establish a long-term framework to prevent future conflicts, according to BBC News.
European Role and Next Steps
European, European Union, and NATO representatives were present in Abu Dhabi to consult with Ukrainian officials, though they did not participate directly in the three-way negotiations. Moscow has resisted direct European participation, arguing that countries supplying weapons to Ukraine cannot act as impartial mediators, NPR reported.
Kushner stated that one objective of his upcoming meetings will be attempting to include European representatives in future talks, according to The Guardian.
The U.S. envoys are scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday morning to discuss the Abu Dhabi proposals directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters. Following their visit to Moscow, Kushner and Witkoff will travel to Dublin to meet with Zelenskyy to coordinate subsequent steps, CBS News reported.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting continued along the front lines. Russian drone strikes hit an Odesa market on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring 11 others, regional governor Oleh Kiper said, according to CBS News. In Russia, Ukrainian drone attacks sparked a fire at the Ust-Luga oil export terminal in the Leningrad region overnight, Russian officials said, as reported by NPR.
