Russia and Ukraine agree to exchange prisoners

Talks in Abu Dhabi ended Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange As of: November 11, 2026 • 3:09 p.m

At the Ukraine talks, Moscow and Kyiv agreed on another prisoner exchange. Tomorrow, US envoys Kushner and Witkoff want to travel to Kremlin chief Putin. It should also be about involving the Europeans in the discussions.

The two-day talks between representatives of Ukraine and Russia mediated by the USA in Abu Dhabi have ended. As expected, there was no major breakthrough, although both sides agreed on a prisoner exchange.

"One of the positive aspects is that we have agreed on the largest humanitarian release of prisoners to date; we will determine the exact numbers tomorrow," said Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, who is mediating for the US along with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The leaders of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Vladimir Medinsky and Rustem Umerov, confirmed the exchange after the talks concluded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of a planned exchange of 1,000 to 1,500 prisoners. The Russian General Staff named more than 1,000 prisoners who would be handed over by each side in the next two or three weeks.

After the talks ended, Kushner announced that he and Witkoff would travel on to Russia on Thursday. A meeting there with Russian head of state Vladimir Putin will be about "taking stock" of what was discussed during the two-day consultations in Abu Dhabi.

Kushner also said he wanted to ensure that European representatives were involved in future talks between Russia and Ukraine under US mediation. “We have to have the Europeans at the table,” he emphasized. The EU and NATO must be an “integral part” of negotiations to end the war.

Silke Diettrich, ARD Moscow, on day two of the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi tagesschau24, November 11, 2026 • 10:00 a.m. First Putin, then Zelensky It was the first time since February that representatives from the Russian and Ukrainian sides had taken part in consultations together in the search for a peace solution for Ukraine. Representatives from European countries also traveled to Abu Dhabi. However, in the run-up to the consultations, Kushner had promised a broader discussion format with European participation only if further progress had been made.

After the meeting in Moscow, Kushner and Witkoff want to travel on to Dublin. A summit of the European Political Community (EPG) will take place in the Irish capital on Thursday, in which Ukrainian President Zelenskyj is also scheduled to take part. In talks with Zelensky, the US envoys want to “deepen some of the ideas that we have put forward,” as Kushner announced.

The first day of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi did not produce any official result. more

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