ABU DHABI — Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war, both sides said on Wednesday, as two days of US-mediated talks ended with no major breakthrough on ending the war.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said the main result was agreement on a large-scale exchange, and that the sides were now working on the details and practical implementation. Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation, also confirmed the planned exchange. Neither side gave details on its timing or scale.
Alexander Zorin, a deputy chief of the Russian General Staff’s information department, told Russian state television the swap would be one of the biggest since 1,000 soldiers from each side returned home last year, and could take place within two or three weeks. That timeline has not been independently confirmed.
No progress on ceasefire or territory
The talks were the first negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in nine months. US envoy Jared Kushner described them as “substantive” and “tough”. Umerov said significant differences between the parties’ positions persist.
The central dispute is the eastern region of Donbas. There has been no public sign that President Vladimir Putin will drop his demand that Ukraine surrender the entire region before a deal, while President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to give up land his forces have died defending.
A US official told Reuters that American negotiators believe both leaders may be willing to compromise on territory. Under the proposed deal, Ukraine would receive an end to the war, security guarantees and a roadmap to EU accession. A senior Ukrainian official strongly denied that Kyiv would consider such concessions, saying territory could be discussed only at leaders’ level and in the context of security guarantees.
Europe sidelined from the main table
European representatives were in Abu Dhabi for separate consultations with Ukrainian and US officials but did not take part directly in the trilateral negotiations. Russia had made clear it saw no place for Europeans at the meeting, while France said lasting peace required addressing European security with Europe involved. A source in the Russian delegation said Moscow expected the talks to focus on key elements of a post-war security framework for Europe.
Fighting continues
The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia struck six major power substations, causing outages across Ukraine, as the talks concluded. That report has not been independently verified.
US envoys Kushner and Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet Putin, then to Dublin to meet Zelensky. The Moscow meeting is due on Thursday.
The last comparable exchange followed the previous Abu Dhabi round in February, when Russia’s Defence Ministry said each side released 157 prisoners of war.
