Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war after two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, though the negotiations produced no major breakthrough on ending the nearly five-year-old war.
Both delegations confirmed the plan, with the Russian side saying it was agreed in principle. Final numbers are expected to be settled on Thursday, and a Russian officer said the swap could happen within two or three weeks.
Ending this war without Europe's participation would be unjust, and it would be impossible.
Kushner and Witkoff are due in Moscow to meet Putin and then in Dublin to meet Zelenskyy, as Washington pushes to bring European governments into the talks.
Russia and Ukraine Agree to a Large Prisoner Exchange
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war, both sides said Wednesday, as two days of talks mediated by the United States in Abu Dhabi closed without a major breakthrough on ending the war.
Expectations were modest going in, since this was the first meeting between the two delegations in nine months. The sides last sat down in February in Geneva, and the invasion, now almost five years old, has killed huge numbers of soldiers and civilians.
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, called it the biggest humanitarian prisoner release yet, with final numbers due on Thursday. Russia's Vladimir Medinsky said the deal was agreed only in principle.
Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv's delegation, confirmed the plan. Russian officer Alexander Zorin told state TV it would rank among the largest swaps since 1,000 soldiers per side went home last year, possibly within weeks.
Kushner later wrote on X that the exchange would reunite families and build momentum toward peace, yet he conceded that there is currently no trust between the two sides, which he called expected after such a long war.
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US Envoys Head to Moscow and Dublin After the Talks
The talks lasted just under two hours on Wednesday, following a four-hour session the day before. U.S. officials say they are determined to revive Washington's peace effort, which has so far failed to produce significant results.
Kushner said he and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet President Vladimir Putin, then fly to Dublin to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy gave the outcome a muted welcome, calling the proposed prisoner exchange a positive step. He stressed, however, that Ukraine will not give in to demands that it hand over territory occupied by Russia in return for peace.
Medinsky said he believed the talks nudged Moscow and Kyiv closer to peace. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov called them substantive and quite useful. Even so, the two sides remain far apart on their core demands.
Russia Resists a Role for Europe in the Negotiations
Moscow does not want European countries, which are worried about Russia's conduct and wider intentions on the continent, taking part in direct negotiations. Kushner said one aim of the Moscow trip is to get Europeans added to the talks.
Representatives of European governments, the European Union and NATO were in the Emirati capital but did not join the three-way talks. Umerov said Kyiv's delegation was due to meet them later on Wednesday.
Speaking in Dublin, Zelenskyy said it was positive that security advisers and senior officials from Europe, the EU and NATO were in Abu Dhabi, and he described a "change in temperature," with Washington warming to a European role.
"Ending this war without Europe's participation would be unjust, and it would be impossible," Zelenskyy said through an interpreter.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European representatives could eventually join peace talks, but argued that their current statements do not show any desire to help move toward peace. Moscow complains that Europe finances and arms Ukraine.
Security Guarantees and Territory Remain Major Hurdles
Kushner said both Ukraine and Russia need clarity on postwar security arrangements, and that European countries, the EU and NATO must be part of those discussions to build consensus on next steps.
Ukraine wants assurances that Moscow will not invade again. EU officials say talks on Europe's security arrangements could begin only after a ceasefire, and many in Europe see including Russia in those plans as a concession to Putin.
Putin has described NATO's eastward expansion as a top security threat and has demanded that the alliance pull its troops back from Russia's borders. Kushner said Russia's security concerns were discussed in Abu Dhabi.
Moscow was told, he added, that it needs to come up with different de-escalation proposals that Europe could accept. The fate of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory remains another major obstacle to any settlement.
War Rages On as Politics and Pressures Shift
The talks took place in a new political setting. Democrats will take control of the U.S. Congress in January after the midterm elections, and they could press for more support for Ukraine, which the Trump administration must now factor in.
Russia's wartime economy is under heavy strain, while Ukraine is reeling from devastating aerial attacks on its power grid. On the front line, little territory has changed hands this year, and both countries keep hitting each other with long-range missiles and drones.
Local authorities said three people were killed and 11 injured when Russia struck a market in southern Ukraine's Odesa region in a daytime attack. Overnight, strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv wounded seven civilians, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 627 Ukrainian drones overnight, 150 of them over the St. Petersburg region. Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the drones started a fire at the Ust-Luga port, a key oil export facility, injuring three workers.
Separately, a 49-year-old Indonesian man was reportedly captured in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region after saying he was unknowingly recruited to fight for Russia. Indonesia's embassy in Kyiv has been seeking access to him while he is in Ukrainian custody.
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David Martinez
World Affairs Reporter
David Martinez is a world affairs journalist with expertise in international relations, conflict reporting, and global humanitarian issues. He has reported from conflict zones and has an eye for the political dynamics of international crises.
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