Delegates from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States concluded two days of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, reaching an agreement in principle on a large-scale prisoner exchange while remaining at an impasse over territorial demands and postwar security guarantees.
The negotiations in the United Arab Emirates are the first trilateral discussions between the warring nations since February. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a prisoner-of-war exchange following his meeting with US President Donald Trump’s special envoys.
Wednesday marked the conclusion of the initial face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine in nearly a year, which wrapped up with no major breakthroughs achieved. Spanning two days, the US-mediated peace discussions in Abu Dhabi resulted in a tentative agreement between both nations concerning a large prisoner swap.
We count on a truly large-scale prisoner exchange, and we take very seriously the wording our American partners are using: that this should be the largest exchange of this war. More than a thousand people from each side. This is extremely sensitive for many Ukrainian families.… pic.twitter.com/hzwVW8xOxn
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Servant of the People faction head Davyd Arakhamia, Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, President’s Office Head Kyrylo Budanov, and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, and the European Commission attended the meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on November 10, 2026.
Kushner said in a post to X on Wednesday that the prisoner exchange would reunite families, build trust, and create momentum toward peace, adding that bringing Ukraine and Russia back together for the first trilateral talks since February was an important step.
President Trump today advanced an important discussion with several European leaders about the need for a broader European security architecture that can help establish the conditions for lasting peace. Building on his leadership and the substantive work undertaken this week in… https://t.co/jZ9uAQnkd4
Despite the humanitarian breakthrough on prisoner swaps, the fundamental political divide remained unbridled. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation and aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, maintained a hardline stance during the meetings. Medinsky previously led Moscow’s delegations in Istanbul in 2022 and 2025, according to Al Jazeera.
“Every inch of Russian land will be returned to Russia, one way or another,” Medinsky said on the sidelines of the talks in the United Arab Emirates, as reported by the Atlantic Council.
Received a report from our negotiating team. Today was the first day of meetings in Abu Dhabi. First came a meeting with our European and American partners, followed by a trilateral format between our delegation and the American and Russian delegations. I am grateful to all of… pic.twitter.com/mesjgP1U8S
U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff introduced the broader issue of a future European security architecture to the agenda. President Donald Trump previously wrote of the need for a comprehensive agreement that might involve all of Europe, according to Responsible Statecraft.
While representatives from the European Union, NATO, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom were present in Abu Dhabi, they were excluded from a direct, formal voice in the negotiating room, leaving European officials to coordinate in parallel, as detailed by The Conversation.
❗️ Presidential Aide Vladimir #Medinsky: Every Inch of Russian Land to Be Returned by Russia One Way or Another pic.twitter.com/jSfOIZXT8Y
Jean-Noël Barrot addressed Paris’s involvement ahead of the meetings, telling French radio that “France will be there and will ensure that Europe’s voice is heard,” according to NPR.
The diplomatic track proceeded against a backdrop of continuous missile strikes and military friction on the ground. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of treating diplomacy “as a form of aggression,” pointing to a barrage of ballistic missiles directed at the Kyiv area, according to NPR.
“For me, it's not simple, and it can be dangerous,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on Friday.
Following the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi sessions, Witkoff and Kushner traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin, with subsequent consultations scheduled with Zelenskyy in Dublin, Ireland, according to ABC News.
Tass have published Russia's memorandum, which it refused to hand over to Ukraine until the peace talks in Istanbul today. The demands basically amount to surrender, regime change, and putting Ukraine back in Russia's grip. They are: 1) Ukraine withdraws from four partially… pic.twitter.com/pClqVfgBjw
Delegation reports indicated that these discussions incorporated Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin alongside Yury Zhigarlovsky, a deputy head of the General Staff’s operations directorate, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov for the very first time.
While diplomats met, Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged with citizens in Moscow's Red Square by the monument dedicated to merchant Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who led the 1612 resistance against foreign invaders.
💬 Russia's DFM Sergey #Ryabkov on the talks in Abu Dhabi: Bringing the Europeans into the talks could undo progress & derail promising efforts. ❗️ I hope those who seek to derail the talks realise the situation on the ground is turning against Kiev.https://t.co/EIcr27B8Y4 pic.twitter.com/Thlwspc4Og
Earlier coverage: Russia Demands Donbas, ‘New Security System’ in Abu Dhabi Talks
If a major prisoner exchange does indeed take place, the Abu Dhabi-meeting will have been worth it. That was all that could be expected, and that is all that came of it. Putin sticks to his maximum objectives. He is counting on wearing down Ukraine over the winter and driving a…