Kushner: Progress in Abu Dhabi Negotiations.. Russian-Ukrainian Agreement on Wide Prisoner Exchange

Russia and Ukraine concluded yesterday in Abu Dhabi the new round of trilateral talks mediated by the United States, following two days of meetings aimed at exploring ways to end the war, amid continuing disagreements between the two sides on military issues, territorial matters, security guarantees, and post-conflict arrangements, according to informed sources.

Garid Kushner, the special envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump, announced yesterday that progress had been made in the talks, particularly regarding security guarantees for Ukraine, and pointed to an agreement reached between Moscow and Kyiv on a prisoner exchange.

In press remarks after the talks ended, Kushner said the U.S. delegation would provide a briefing to the U.S. president on the discussions, adding that he would travel today alongside U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, before heading to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Kushner explained that the negotiating teams had conducted in-depth discussions on post-war security arrangements, emphasizing notable progress on the file of security guarantees for Ukraine. However, he noted that mutual distrust between Russia and Ukraine remains a major obstacle to reaching an understanding. He added that both sides are seeking to understand the nature of the arrangements that will prevail in the post-war phase, pointing out that any agreement on future security would not be possible without first reaching an understanding on territorial and regional issues, which he described as the most difficult and complex aspects of the negotiation process.

The U.S. envoy linked the prospects for tangible progress during his upcoming visit to Moscow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s acceptance of U.S. demands aimed at halting the war, urging the Russian side to put forward practical proposals to de-escalate military tensions.

Kushner noted that NATO and European countries would be part of the upcoming negotiation track, clarifying that the Russian side had expressed specific concerns regarding this framework. At the same time, issues related to territory, security guarantees, and future arrangements remain among the key matters awaiting resolution between the two sides.

For his part, Rustam Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, announced that “fundamental differences” with Russia still remain.

Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation, said in a statement posted on social media platforms yesterday that during two days of trilateral negotiations, “the parties were able to clarify their positions clearly, although fundamental differences remain on them.” He added, “We still have a lot of hard work ahead, but there are opportunities to continue the negotiation process.”

He continued, “Ukraine, the United States, and Russia discussed issues of achieving peace and post-war reconstruction,” considering “that the first step toward that is ending the war and providing security guarantees for Ukraine.” He added, “The main outcome was reaching an agreement on a broad prisoner exchange. We are currently working on agreeing on the details and practical implementation.”

For his part, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian negotiating delegation, announced that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed during the Abu Dhabi talks on a broad prisoner exchange, the details of which would be announced later, confirming that negotiations between the two sides would continue.