Russia’s chief negotiator said talks with Ukraine mediated by the United States ended in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with agreement on a large prisoner exchange, but unresolved differences over a future European security framework.

Vladimir Medinsky said further negotiations would follow. The outcome marks a development from the opening of the talks, though the reporting offered no sign of major compromises on the terms for ending the war.

According to CBC’s report, which carried Reuters reporting, Medinsky told Russian state television that the delegations had reached a common understanding on some security questions but not others.

Russian Lt.-Gen. Alexander Zorin said the proposed prisoner exchange would involve more than 1,000 captives on each side and could take place within two to three weeks, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Medinsky said details would be released soon. The exchange had not yet taken place.

U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff mediated the negotiations in the United Arab Emirates. Kushner described the talks as a “first good step” and said the envoys would travel to Moscow on Thursday, then meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin.

David Arakhamia, a close Zelenskyy ally who leads his parliamentary faction, said there was “good momentum” toward a solution before the end of the year. He also argued that Europe should be represented in negotiations rather than leaving them to Ukraine, Russia and the United States.

Medinsky took a different position, saying Russia had received no concrete European peace proposals and questioning what there was to discuss with European governments. Those remarks reflected Moscow’s position, not an independently established absence of European initiatives.

Major obstacles remain. Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine, while Moscow wants Ukraine to adopt neutral status and stay out of NATO. Future security guarantees are also at issue. Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected surrendering territory Ukrainian troops have defended.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said broader security discussions should follow a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected a truce, arguing that European governments want to give Ukraine breathing space.

Neither Zelenskyy nor Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Abu Dhabi talks. Both sides reported further attacks while negotiations were underway.

Sources