Nov. 11 — Ukraine and Russia agreed to conduct a large-scale prisoner exchange after two days of the US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree on key points of the peace deal, including territorial issues and postwar security arrangements, reported RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian media outlet.  

The talks marked the first trilateral negotiations since February 2026, when the previous round in Geneva failed.  

“To find solution before New Year” 

David Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to Abu Dhabi and the head of the parliamentary pro-presidential faction Servant of the People, said that Russian representatives came with strict instructions, leaving no room for compromise.  

At the same time, Arakhamia said that Kyiv and Moscow agreed to schedule another round of talks, discussed the possibility of involving European representatives in the talks process, and progress on humanitarian issues. 

“We have good momentum to find a solution before the New Year,” he said. 

Arakhamia also warned that Ukraine faces a harsh winter because of the lack of air defense missile supplies. 

When asked about whether Moscow demanded Ukraine to cede the Donetsk region, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and another member of the negotiation team, declined to disclose details of the meeting. 

While Serhii Kyslytsia, first deputy head of the Office of the President, said he heard no ultimatums from the representatives of Ukraine, US and EU during the talks.  

Prisoner exchange

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said that Russia intends to reclaim “every inch of its territory” in Ukraine, though it is unclear what territory he meant. At the same time he confirmed that Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on prisoner exchange. 

Alexander Zorin, Russian military official who participated in the talks said that the exchange could take place within two or three weeks and may be the largest since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. 

Medinsky said the delegations had exchanged views and gained an understanding on some issues. However, he noted that significant disagreements still exist between Kyiv and Moscow. 

He also said that Moscow didn’t hold discussions with EU representatives in Abu Dhabi, despite his claim that the future European security was the central subject of the talks. He also repeated Russia’s demand that NATO has to roll back its military presence to positions the alliance had before 1997. 

“It was very productive” 

Steve Witkoff, American President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and David Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, who mediated negotiations, announced that they would travel to Moscow on Nov. 12 to meet Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Then they plan to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, in Ireland’s Dublin for discussion of the next steps toward a peace deal. 

“I believe this was a very good first meeting. It was very productive. We made significant progress,” Kushner said. 

Kushner added that territorial issues remain the most challenging part of the negotiations. He also said that they discussed various elements of a possible agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine and preventing another Russian invasion. 

At the same time, he backed European involvement in negotiations, saying that EU and NATO representatives’ presence in Abu Dhabi was useful.  

Kushner also said that a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would be beneficial for a peace agreement. He added that the “trust” between two leaders remains limited and that final decision on a possible peace agreement would ultimately rest with them. 

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