Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a major exchange of prisoners of war following two days of US-mediated negotiations in Abu Dhabi, officials said on Wednesday, marking a significant humanitarian development in efforts to end the nearly five-year conflict.
The agreement emerged from the first direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in nine months, although the two sides remained far apart on the central issues preventing a broader peace settlement.
Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, said the negotiators had agreed in principle to what could become the largest humanitarian prisoner release of the conflict.
"One of the positives is we agreed that we're going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we're going to finalise the numbers tomorrow," Kushner said after the talks concluded.
Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation, and Rustem Umerov, who led Ukraine's negotiating team, confirmed the planned exchange.
However, the exact number of prisoners to be released and the timetable for the exchange have yet to be finalised.
๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ถ๐ป, ๐ญ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ธ๐๐
Kushner said he and US special envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow on Thursday for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin before flying to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meetings are expected to build on the Abu Dhabi negotiations and explore possible ways to narrow differences between Moscow and Kyiv.
Washington has been attempting to revive diplomatic efforts that have so far failed to produce significant progress towards ending the war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Abu Dhabi meeting as "very productive" but cautioned that achieving a breakthrough on ending the conflict would take time.
The talks took place amid changing political circumstances in Washington following the US midterm elections.
Democrats are set to take control of Congress in January, potentially increasing pressure on the Trump administration to provide stronger support for Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia's wartime economy remains under considerable strain, while Ukraine continues to face extensive damage to its energy infrastructure from Russian aerial attacks.
๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ๐
Zelenskyy described Tuesday's discussions as "constructive and quite substantive", saying the negotiations focused primarily on humanitarian concerns.
These included the proposed exchange of prisoners of war, the return of Ukrainian civilians held in captivity and efforts to bring back children taken from Ukraine during the conflict.
Security guarantees for Ukraine were also discussed, although there was no indication that either side had softened its principal demands.
Russia and Ukraine have periodically exchanged prisoners throughout the war, even during periods when broader diplomatic negotiations remained suspended.
The proposed large-scale exchange is therefore being viewed as a potential confidence-building measure rather than evidence of an imminent peace agreement.
Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation was also expected to meet European officials on Wednesday.
Representatives of European governments, the European Union and NATO were present in Abu Dhabi and held consultations with Ukrainian officials.
Moscow has opposed the direct participation of European countries in the negotiations, arguing against their involvement in the formal peace process.
European governments, however, have maintained that any settlement must address Ukraine's security and the wider implications of Russia's actions for the continent.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐
The negotiations unfolded against the backdrop of continued fighting along the front line, where territorial changes have remained limited this year.
Both Russia and Ukraine have continued launching long-range missile and drone attacks against each other's territory, targeting infrastructure and military-related facilities.
Overnight, Russian strikes hit Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region and the eastern city of Kharkiv, injuring seven civilians and damaging property.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defence systems had intercepted 627 Ukrainian drones overnight.
According to Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia's Leningrad region, 150 drones were intercepted over the area surrounding St Petersburg.
He said the attacks triggered a fire at the port of Ust-Luga, one of Russia's major oil export facilities, injuring three workers.
The continued strikes underscored the difficulties facing negotiators seeking to translate diplomatic engagement into a reduction in hostilities.
Although the proposed prisoner exchange represents a concrete outcome of the Abu Dhabi talks, the two sides have yet to demonstrate a willingness to compromise on the territorial and security issues at the heart of the conflict.
The next round of high-level diplomatic engagements in Moscow and Dublin is expected to provide a clearer indication of whether the renewed negotiations can move beyond humanitarian agreements towards a broader settlement.