Russia and Ukraine agree to major prisoner exchange after Abu Dhabi talks
Russia and Ukraine agreed to what US envoy Jared Kushner described as their biggest prisoner exchange yet after two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Neither side announced a final figure, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was awaiting Moscow’s response to a possible exchange of 1,000 prisoners for 1,000, or perhaps 1,200. The agreement was the clearest tangible result of discussions that otherwise produced limited evidence of progress towards ending the war.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel first to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, then fly to Dublin to meet Zelensky, who is attending European meetings. Zelensky said there might be a “window of opportunity” to end the conflict before 2027, while acknowledging that he remained sceptical. He also cited a warmer US attitude towards including Europe in future negotiations.
The talks addressed security guarantees in greater detail, but Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said they had been difficult and that Russia arrived with strict instructions. Russian delegation chief Vladimir Medinsky said discussions would continue, while questioning Europe’s role and calling for a “new, modern Yalta” to reshape the continent’s security order. European officials, however, said they saw little reason to discuss broader security arrangements with Moscow before the fighting stops. NATO chief Mark Rutte said the talks showed the United States, Ukraine and Europe remained aligned.
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