ABU DHABI (AP) | November 11, 2026 | Russia and Ukraine have agreed in principle to a major prisoner-of-war exchange following two days of US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi, but negotiations ended Wednesday without a significant breakthrough on ending the nearly five-year war.
US special envoy Jared Kushner announced the agreement after the talks concluded, describing the planned release as the largest humanitarian prisoner exchange yet. He said the final numbers would be determined the following day. Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky and Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov also confirmed the agreement, according to The Associated Press.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said that negotiators discussed a possible exchange involving 1,000 prisoners for 1,000, with the possibility of increasing the number to 1,500 on each side. However, the final figure had not been officially confirmed.
The agreement was the most tangible outcome of the negotiations, which brought Russian, Ukrainian and American representatives together for the first time since February. Despite what US officials described as productive discussions, the two sides remained divided over territorial claims, security guarantees and the future European security arrangement.
The discussions focused on possible postwar security guarantees for Ukraine, Russia’s own security demands, occupied Ukrainian territory, reconstruction and the future security framework in Europe. Territorial disputes remained the most difficult obstacle, with Moscow and Kyiv showing no clear willingness to compromise on their respective positions.
Kushner and fellow US envoy Steve Witkoff said they planned to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before proceeding to Dublin for a separate meeting with Zelenskyy. Washington hopes the additional meetings will help narrow differences and move negotiations forward.
European participation also emerged as a contentious issue. Ukraine insisted that European governments must have a role in discussions affecting the continent’s security. Although European representatives, including officials from the European Union and NATO, were in Abu Dhabi for consultations with the Ukrainian delegation, Russia opposed their direct involvement in the negotiations.
Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the second day began with a trilateral meeting involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine, followed by separate discussions with European partners. Russian negotiator Medinsky later said some understanding had been reached on certain issues, but acknowledged that disagreements remained and further negotiations would be necessary.
The talks took place against a continuing backdrop of military operations. The Associated Press reported that Russian attacks overnight struck the Zaporizhzhia region and the eastern city of Kharkiv, injuring seven civilians and damaging property. Russia also reported that its air defenses intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones, including attacks that reportedly caused a fire at the Ust-Luga port, a major Russian oil export facility.
The negotiations are part of renewed US efforts to end a conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The war followed years of tensions beginning in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after taking control of the peninsula. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently adopted Resolution 68/262, affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and declaring the Crimea referendum invalid.
Previous prisoner exchanges have provided occasional humanitarian relief during the war, but they have not resolved the fundamental disagreements between the two countries. The latest agreement offers a possible breakthrough on the humanitarian front, although a comprehensive peace settlement remains uncertain.
For now, the planned prisoner release represents the clearest result of the Abu Dhabi negotiations, while the central questions of territory, sovereignty and long-term security remain unresolved.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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