Abu Dhabi talks end with a deal in principle on a large prisoner exchange but no breakthrough; US envoys head to Putin and Zelensky

Two days of US-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday, 11 November, with agreement in principle on a new large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange but no major breakthrough on ending the war, AP and Reuters reported. The second day lasted just under two hours.

What was agreed

Russia’s chief negotiator, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said the sides had reached “an agreement in principle on a new large-scale prisoner exchange,” with details to follow, RFE/RL reported. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said the talks were tough, with the Russian delegation arriving with “strict directives,” but gave “good momentum” toward a solution before the end of the year; he said future talks should be multilateral and include Europeans.

No trust, territory unresolved

US envoy Jared Kushner said: “The reality is there is no trust right now between the sides.” He said territorial issues were discussed and would be the hardest to resolve. Ukraine has rejected Moscow’s demand to hand over the whole of the Donbas region, Reuters noted.

Next steps

Kushner and Steve Witkoff are expected to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 12 November, where they will raise including European partners, and then brief Volodymyr Zelensky in Ireland. European and NATO officials met US and Ukrainian envoys in Abu Dhabi, but Russia’s delegation declined to meet them; Medinsky said it was unclear what Russia and the EU had to discuss.