Russia and Ukraine Agree to Major Prisoner Exchange After Abu Dhabi Talks

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange a large number of prisoners of war following two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Officials said the deal represents the largest humanitarian release of prisoners in the conflict, though the specific figures will be finalized on Thursday.

Jared Kushner, son-in-law to President Donald Trump, announced the agreement after the talks concluded on Wednesday. He said, "One of the positives is we agreed that we're going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we're going to finalize the numbers tomorrow." Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, and Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, also confirmed the planned exchange.

This was the first meeting between the delegations in nine months. Prior to the talks, expectations for a major breakthrough were low, although the two sides have occasionally swapped prisoners during the nearly five-year war. U.S. officials stated they are determined to revive Washington's peace efforts, which have not yet produced major results.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Tuesday's session as "constructive and quite substantive." He said the discussions focused on humanitarian issues, including the return of Ukrainian civilians in captivity and children taken from the country. Security guarantees were also on the agenda, but both nations have shown no sign of willingness to compromise on their demands.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting "very productive," while cautioning that a breakthrough on stopping the war will take time. Kushner said he and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After that meeting, they plan to fly to Dublin to meet with Zelenskyy.

The negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of continued fighting on the front line, where little territory has changed hands this year. Both countries are using long-range missiles and drones to strike each other. Overnight, Russia struck the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the eastern city of Kharkiv, wounding seven civilians and damaging property.

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 627 Ukrainian drones overnight. Alexander Drozdenko, the regional governor, said 150 of those drones were shot down over the region around St. Petersburg. The drones started a fire at the port of Ust-Luga, a major facility for Russian oil exports, injuring three workers.