Russia and Ukraine plan sizable POW swap after Abu Dhabi talks yield no breakthrough

Negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv have settled on plans for a sizable swap of captured soldiers, officials from both countries announced Wednesday. The announcement followed two days of Washington-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi that produced no major progress toward ending the war, PBS NewsHour and BBC News reported.

It was the first time the delegations had sat down together since February. According to PBS NewsHour, which published an Associated Press dispatch, few had expected a significant outcome.

Jared Kushner, a US negotiator and the president's son-in-law, said final figures for the exchange would be settled Thursday, PBS NewsHour reported. Vladimir Medinsky, who led Moscow's team, and Rustem Umerov, Kyiv's lead negotiator, both confirmed the deal, though Medinsky characterized it as reached only in principle. Russian military official Alexander Zorin told state TV the handover might occur in two to three weeks. He said it would rank among the biggest since each side got back 1,000 troops last year.

According to the BBC, the discussions focused on how security in Europe would be arranged once fighting stops. Kyiv wants assurances it will not be invaded again, and Moscow seeks to curb NATO's reach in the continent's east. Kushner said no peace can come before a deal on land, the BBC reported.

Land is still the sharpest dispute. Russia controls most of the eastern Donetsk region. The BBC reported that Ukraine wants the lines frozen where they are, while Russia demands Kyiv pull out of the remainder. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not hand over territory to secure peace, according to PBS NewsHour.

Delegates described the round differently. Ukraine's Davyd Arakhamia called it among the toughest sessions yet but said he saw momentum, the BBC reported. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called it substantive, according to PBS NewsHour. Kushner acknowledged deep mistrust: "The reality is, is there's no trust right now between the sides," he said, as reported by PBS NewsHour.

Officials from European governments, the EU and NATO traveled to Abu Dhabi and met US and Ukrainian negotiators but sat out the three-way sessions. The Kremlin opposes giving them a direct role. Kushner said he and envoy Steve Witkoff would see Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, with bringing Europe into the format on the agenda, and then meet Zelenskyy in Dublin. Zelenskyy said, "Ending this war without Europe's participation would be unjust, and it would be impossible," PBS NewsHour reported.

Attacks went on as diplomats met. A Russian strike on a market in the Odesa region left three dead and 11 hurt, local officials said, according to PBS NewsHour. Moscow's Defense Ministry reported shooting down 627 Ukrainian drones overnight, and a regional governor said drones set off a blaze at the Ust-Luga oil port, injuring three workers.

Compiled by True News from reporting by PBS NewsHour and BBC News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/986