Ukraine and Russia are discussing a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war that could involve 1,000 people from each side or even 1,500 for 1,500. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists in Copenhagen after the first day of US-mediated talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Abu Dhabi.
“Some kind of large-scale exchange is being prepared,” Zelenskyy said. According to him, US representatives will take the issue up for further discussion with the Russian side. He did not specify a date for the exchange and did not announce that a final agreement had been reached.
The first round of talks in Abu Dhabi lasted about four hours. The meeting began on November 10 and is expected to continue on November 11. This is the first such trilateral format between Ukraine, Russia and the US since February 2026. The US delegation includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Russian and Ukrainian sides are represented by their respective negotiating teams.
Humanitarian Issues at the Center of the Talks
Zelenskyy described the talks as “constructive and quite substantive.” According to him, the agenda included the release of prisoners of war, the return of Ukrainian civilians held captive and the return of children taken from Ukraine. Security guarantees following a possible agreement to end the war were also discussed.
“I want us to carry out an exchange of 1,000 for 1,000, perhaps 1,500 for 1,500,” the Ukrainian president said. The figures for the two possible formats were reported by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform and other media outlets citing his statement.
According to The Associated Press, a senior Ukrainian official confirmed that a large-scale exchange had been discussed during the talks, but the details would be considered in the coming days. This means that for now, it is a possibility under discussion rather than a finalized deal.
The Territorial Issue Remains Unresolved
According to Zelenskyy, the Russian side also raised the issue of territories. The Ukrainian president said that such a matter should be resolved at the level of heads of state, rather than within working-level talks.
The upcoming second day of negotiations is expected to cover de-escalation measures, energy, security in the Black Sea and the possibility of a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. So far, no information has been provided on when and under what conditions a possible exchange could take place.
Sources: apnews.com, arabnews.com, ukrinform.net