The dialogue between Russia and Ukraine will continue following the talks in Abu Dhabi, which concluded with the mediation of the United States. This was stated by the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, who also announced that the two countries had reached an agreement on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war.
“This dialogue, of course, will continue,” Medinsky said after the end of the two-day negotiations. According to him, mutual understanding had been reached on some of the issues discussed, but further work remains to be done.
Medinsky and the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, confirmed the agreement on a new prisoner exchange. The exact number of people to be released is yet to be determined. U.S. representative Jared Kushner said that this was the largest humanitarian release of prisoners of war agreed upon so far within the framework of these talks.
Humanitarian issues were at the center
According to the Associated Press, the talks focused mainly on humanitarian issues. These included a possible exchange of prisoners of war, the return of Ukrainian civilians detained in Russia, and the issue of Ukrainian children taken out of the country.
Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States took part in the negotiations. The Russian delegation was headed by Medinsky, the Ukrainian delegation by Umerov, while Washington was represented by Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Differences remain
A possible new model for European security was also discussed during the talks. Medinsky said that this issue would continue to be considered, while at the same time questioning the role of European countries in the next stages of the process.
Reuters reported that the Russian negotiator had expressed reservations about the European Union’s direct involvement, citing a lack of concrete proposals from the European side. The Kremlin added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been kept constantly informed about the progress of the meetings.
The agreement on the exchange of prisoners is the concrete result of the meeting in Abu Dhabi. No final agreement was reported on the other key issues related to security and ending the war.
Sources: apnews.com, devdiscourse.com, newsukraine.rbc.ua