U.S. envoys head to Moscow and Dublin after Abu Dhabi talks

Two days of U.S. mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, ended on Wednesday with an agreement to exchange prisoners of war. The delegations did not reach a final decision on ending the war, which has continued for nearly five years since Russia's full-scale invasion began. U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said the prisoner release will be the largest humanitarian exchange to date. He stated that the specific numbers will be finalized the day after the talks concluded.

The meeting marked the first face-to-face session between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in nine months. The talks took place in a new political environment. The Trump administration now faces a U.S. Congress where Democrats hold the majority following the midterm elections in January. Lawmakers are expected to demand more support for Ukraine. Additionally, Russia's wartime economy is under strain, while Ukraine faces damage to its power grid from aerial attacks.

Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, said the agreement on prisoners is in principle. Rustem Umerov, the head of the Ukrainian team, confirmed the plan. Alexander Zorin, a deputy chief of the General Staff's information department, told Russian state TV that this swap will follow a previous exchange that returned 1,000 soldiers last year. He predicted the latest exchange could happen within two or three weeks.

The two-day negotiation process included a four-hour session on Tuesday and a two-hour session on Wednesday. Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff are scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with President Vladimir Putin. After that meeting, they plan to fly to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyry Zelenskyy. Medinsky said he felt the talks helped the two sides move closer to peace. Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin foreign affairs adviser, described the meetings as substantive and useful.

European officials were present in Abu Dhabi but did not participate in the direct three-way talks. Moscow excluded them from the main sessions. Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation would meet with representatives from European governments, the European Union, and NATO later on Wednesday. Kushner said a goal for the Moscow trip is to get Europeans added to the talks. He noted that European countries, the EU, and NATO need to be involved in discussions about postwar security arrangements.

Zelenskyy posted on social media that Ukraine wants a dignified peace as soon as possible. He stated that Europe must be represented at every stage of diplomacy. He also said the United States must exert influence on Russia, which he identified as the source of the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European representatives could join peace talks eventually. He added that their current statements do not show a desire to help move toward peace.

Kushner said both countries need clarity on security guarantees. He explained that Moscow was told it needs to provide de-escalation proposals that Europe can accept. He acknowledged that there is currently no trust between the sides. He later posted that the prisoner exchange will help reunite families and build trust.

Fighting continued on the front lines while the talks took place. Local authorities in the southern Odesa region of Ukraine reported that three people died and 11 were injured in a Russian daytime attack on a market. Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration, said residential buildings were damaged. Overnight, Russia struck the Zaporizhzhia region and the city of Kharkiv, wounding seven civilians.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed 627 Ukrainian drones overnight. It reported that 150 of them were over the region around St. Petersburg. Alexander Drozdenko, the regional governor, said drones started a fire at the port of Ust-Luga, a main facility for Russian oil exports. Three workers were injured in that fire. A 49-year-old Indonesian man was reportedly captured in the Zaporizhzhia region. He said he believed he had signed a construction contract in Moscow but was taken to the battlefield instead.

The Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv is seeking access to the man, who is in Ukrainian custody. Yvonne Mewengkang, a spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the embassy is looking for him. Ukrainian and Russian officials did not immediately comment on his case. The talks concluded with the parties agreeing to the prisoner swap but leaving the broader issues of territory and security guarantees for future discussions.