The next round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine could be held in the United Arab Emirates or Switzerland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference in Dublin.
“It could be in the Emirates or in Switzerland. That will depend on the teams,” Zelensky said. According to him, the Ukrainian side is ready for the talks to continue as soon as possible.
Large-scale prisoner exchange announced
Zelensky said that Ukraine and Russia had reached an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange following contacts in Abu Dhabi. US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told the Ukrainian president that the exchange would be the largest to date, according to the Ukrainian side’s account of the conversation.
The exact number of service members to be released has not been announced. Kyiv had previously discussed the possibility of an exchange involving 1,000 for 1,000 or 1,500 for 1,500 people. “Our soldiers are returning home,” Zelensky said, describing the outcome as important for the families of the prisoners.
The talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 were the first direct discussions between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in nine months. According to reports, an agreement was reached on the humanitarian issue of the exchange, but no political agreement to end the war was announced.
Kyiv insists Europe must have a seat at the table
The Ukrainian president said that European countries should not only attend the next round but also have the right to vote. Zelensky said that the next meeting involving all negotiators would take place in the near future.
About 20 of Ukraine’s partners took part in the meeting in Dublin, organized by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. They included French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as the heads of the European Commission, the European Council and NATO.
The main topics were deliveries of missiles for Ukraine’s air defense, energy support, the construction of new shelters, Ukraine’s financial resilience, security guarantees and additional contributions to the PURL program. The next meeting of the coalition of the willing is scheduled to take place next week in Berlin.
Protection of Ukraine’s energy sector discussed
In a separate meeting in Dublin, Zelensky and Giorgia Meloni discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and the delivery of missiles needed to protect energy infrastructure during the winter.
“It is important for Europe to be fully engaged in the process when it comes to the end of the war, security guarantees and the future of our entire continent,” Zelensky said.The diplomatic process following the meetings in Abu Dhabi was also discussed during the talks. Kyiv said it expects its European partners to participate more actively both in the negotiations and in preparing measures to protect the population and the energy system.
Sources: pravda.com.ua, eurointegration.com.ua