Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement in principle on a new large-scale exchange of prisoners of war. This was announced by the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, following two days of talks with Ukrainian and US representatives in Abu Dhabi. He specified that the exact parameters of the agreement would be announced at a later stage, while according to the US side, the exchange could take place within the next two to three weeks.
This is the only concrete humanitarian result confirmed after the meeting. No breakthrough was achieved on the main political issues. The territorial dispute remains unresolved, with Medinsky saying that he sees no possibility of an exchange of territories between Russia and Ukraine. In his words, Moscow continues to insist on its own terms for settling the conflict.
Security in Europe was the main topic
Medinsky described the future architecture of European security as the central topic of the talks. “On some issues we reached an understanding, while on others we did not, but this conversation will continue,” he said after the meeting ended. The Russian side presents the issue as a need for a comprehensive reconsideration of the existing security system in Europe.
Broader relations between Russia, the US and European countries after a possible end to the war were also discussed on this topic. US envoy Jared Kushner said that trust between the countries was still lacking, while territorial issues remained among the most difficult to resolve.
Moscow rejected a separate role for the EU
Medinsky said that the Russian delegation had not spoken with representatives of the European Union, despite the fact that European officials had been in Abu Dhabi during the negotiations. “We did not speak with representatives of the EU,” he said. According to him, Europeans can join the future process if they put forward concrete proposals rather than merely political positions.
The differences over Europe's role remain evident. Ukraine and the European countries insist on taking part directly in talks on future security guarantees, while Moscow and Washington are discussing a broader format in which European participation could be included at a later stage.
The next talks will take place in Moscow and Dublin
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to continue discussing the ideas from Abu Dhabi and clarify the parameters of the prisoner exchange. They then plan to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin.
Thus, following the meeting in Abu Dhabi, only a humanitarian result has been agreed, while questions concerning territories, a ceasefire and future security guarantees continue to divide the parties.
Sources: apnews.com, kommersant.ru, cdn.rtvi.com