Symbolic imageAbu Dhabi talks yield prisoner swap but no progress on territory
Russia, Ukraine and the US ended two days of talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, agreeing a prisoner exchange in principle. Ceasefire and territory remain deadlocked.
The talks on 10 and 11 November were the first trilateral round since February; the second day ended after two hours, the first after four. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow and Kyiv agreed in principle on a new large-scale prisoner exchange, with details to follow. Ukraine's Davyd Arakhamia said it could be the largest overall. Handelsblatt reports the US envoys are to settle the number in Moscow, after President Zelensky mentioned 1,000 or 1,500 prisoners per side.
Territory stays deadlocked
US envoy Jared Kushner called territory the hardest issue, and Medinsky said "every inch of our land will be returned to Russia." Moscow also rejects a ceasefire, FAZ notes. A Ukrainian source told The Telegraph that Kyiv refused a US idea to redraw the Donetsk and Luhansk borders so Russia could claim full capture.
Europe kept at a distance
Medinsky said the Russian delegation did not talk to the Europeans in Abu Dhabi and does not understand in what capacity they attended. European diplomats told FAZ the US lobbied Moscow for their seat in later rounds.
Envoys head to Moscow
Kushner and Steve Witkoff meet Putin on Thursday morning, his aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed: "they're bringing something." They then go to Dublin to see Zelensky.