Russia, Ukraine to exchange prisoners but talks end with no big breakthrough

Detailed summary

U.S. officials say they are determined to revive Washington’s peace efforts that so far have failed to deliver significant results.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war, both sides said Wednesday as two days of U.S.-mediated talks concluded with no major breakthrough on ending Moscow’s nearly five-year-old full-scale invasion.

U.S. officials say they are determined to revive Washington’s peace efforts that so far have failed to deliver significant results.

Along with postwar security guarantees for both countries, other key hurdles are the fate of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and what role European countries will play in an eventual settlement.

The sides last met in February on Russia’s invasion, which analysts and humanitarian organizations say has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians.

The talks lasted just under two hours Wednesday, after a four-hour session the previous day.

“One of the positives is we agreed that we’re going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we’re going to finalize the numbers tomorrow,” said Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, after the Abu Dhabi talks ended.

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, and Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s contingent, confirmed the planned POW exchange, although Medinsky noted the agreement was “in principle.”

Alexander Zorin, a deputy chief of the General Staff’s information department who attended the talks, told Russian state TV it would be one of the biggest such swaps since 1,000 soldiers from each side returned home last year.

The latest exchange could take place in the next two or three weeks, he said.

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