Russia and Ukraine Agree on a Large-Scale Prisoner Exchange
Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a large-scale prisoner exchange during talks in Abu Dhabi mediated by the US, with US envoys set to meet Putin and Zelensky to discuss details.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a “broad prisoner exchange operation,” according to the head of the Russian delegation, who announced this on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi following talks with Kyiv mediated by the United States.
Vladimir Medinsky told journalists, “We have agreed on a new and broad prisoner exchange,” adding that details of the operation would be announced later.
For his part, US envoy Jared Kushner announced at the conclusion of the talks that he would meet with his counterpart Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, before heading to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the outcomes of the meeting.
Kushner said the meeting with Putin would aim to “review what was discussed today and try to make further progress on some of the issues we discussed, as we see some opportunities.” He told journalists after two days of talks, “After that, we will fly to Dublin to meet with President Zelenskyy, brief him on the results, and continue exploring some of the ideas we arrived at here today.”
The US envoy stated that the talks in Abu Dhabi were complex but yielded positive results. Kushner clarified that territorial issues remain the most difficult in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. He added that discussing post-war matters in Ukraine requires involving Europe.
For his part, the head of the Russian delegation said that an agreement had been reached with Ukraine on the exchange of prisoners of war.
In this context, Dr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE President, said today that “Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the US-Russia-Ukraine negotiations reflects the UAE’s status and its constructive role in facilitating dialogue and bridging differences.”
Gargash added in a post on the X platform: “We look forward optimistically to these talks achieving a positive breakthrough that paves the way for conditions to end a long war and a deep crisis.”
Russia, Ukraine, and the United States began talks yesterday, Tuesday, hosted by the UAE capital regarding the war in Ukraine, attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The first day ended after four hours of talks, with sessions resuming today.
