Russia, Ukraine Agree to Prisoner Swap After Trilateral Talks With US

Two days of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi ended without a significant breakthrough on peace but yielded agreement on a large prisoner swap.

The Details: The trilateral meeting was the first of its kind since talks in Abu Dhabi and Switzerland in February. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and are scheduled to travel onward to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Prisoner Swap: Before the talks concluded, Zelenskyy told reporters in Denmark that the two sides were planning to swap between 1,000 and 1,500 prisoners. Following the talks, Kushner said it would be the "biggest humanitarian release of prisoners" since the conflict began in 2022.

Key Quotes: Kushner said, "The reality is there is no trust right now between the sides, and that is to be expected after a ​conflict like this. I think this was a good first step." He also said there are "some areas we see places where we can find compromises" and "others we need to have more discussions." Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia said the talks were some of "the hardest" yet, but that there was "good momentum." He also said, "I believe the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to soften the discussion." Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said, "Right now... a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the US, and on whether Europe comes to its senses."

European Involvement: Despite offering significant financial and military aid to Ukraine, the European Union has not yet been involved in any peace talks with Russia. Kushner said that in Moscow on Thursday, he and Witkoff are seeking Putin's "blessing" for the EU to join the discussions. In early 2025, Putin said Brussels was welcome to join negotiations, though last month the Kremlin suggested it was not welcome in the upcoming trilateral discussions. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "Putin has always maintained, and continues to maintain, that he is open to contact with everyone, including the Europeans… For the moment, the statements we hear from the Europeans do not indicate any desire on their part to contribute to progress along a peaceful path."

Split Media Perspectives: Ani Chkhikvadze of The Washington Times (Lean Right) said that peace talks with Russia won't bring any progress because its "war aims in Ukraine remain unchanged" and it "wants Ukrainians to know they will remain secure only so long as they obey Russian diktats." Fyodor Lukyanov of Kremlin-funded RT (Lean Right) noted that going into the talks, "observers" suggested there wouldn't be a major breakthrough, but said these talks were a "major shift" because "perhaps for the first time since the conflict began, the question of Europe's wider security architecture, and the guarantees it would require, has moved to the center of negotiations."

Previous Talks: In early September, Witkoff and Kushner met with both Putin and Zelenskyy in their respective capitals to discuss prospective peace. In late October, Witkoff met with both of them again, and though no major breakthrough was made, he secured the release of an American prisoner held in Russia, and Zelenskyy told Fox News (Right) he was open to freezing the conflict along the current lines of control as a first step to peace. Putin had suggested trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and China, though shortly after these meetings, preliminary plans for this week's trilateral talks emerged.

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