Russia-Ukraine talks mediated by U.S. end with news of 'good momentum,' large-scale prisoner swap
Russia's chief negotiator at the latest Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi said Wednesday after their conclusion that mutual understanding had been achieved on some issues, but not on others — and that more negotiations would take place.
Flurry of talks, large-scale prisoner swap expected to follow two-day session in Abu Dhabi
Thomson Reuters
·
Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Russia's chief negotiator at the latest Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi said Wednesday after their conclusion that mutual understanding had been achieved on some issues, but not on others, and that more negotiations would take place.
In remarks broadcast on Russian state television, Vladimir Medinsky said that a new potential future European security framework had been a central theme in the two-day talks.
"Together with the American side, we exchanged our views on this; on some points we reached a common understanding, whilst on others we did not. And this discussion will, of course, continue. The world needs a new, modern, updated security system — one that is fair and does not disadvantage any particular countries," Medinsky said.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is shown Monday at the trilateral talks between the United States, Russian and Ukrainian delegations, in Abu Dhabi. (Rula Rouhana/Reuters)
He was cool however on the prospect of European countries joining future talks, and said it was unclear what there was for Russia and the European Union to discuss, given what he said was a lack of proposals from the European side.
"We have not received a single peace initiative or a single concrete peace proposal from European countries, so it is unclear what there is to discuss," he said. "When they come up with some concrete proposals, then we’ll give those proposals some thought.
"As things stand, I think it would be useful for them to learn, for example, from the American envoys — in terms of common sense, realism and a desire to achieve peace."
Russia and Ukraine had agreed on a large-scale prisoner swap during the talks, Medinsky added, the latest in a long line of such exchanges. He said the details of that would be made public soon.
The swap may happen in the next two to three weeks, Russian state news agency TASS cited Russian Lt.-Gen. Alexander Zorin as saying.
Zorin said the exchange would consist of more than 1,000 captives on each side. Previous prisoner swaps have usually been of no more than a few hundred prisoners each.
LISTEN | Reuters correspondent Dan Peleschuk on Ukrainian conscription controversies:
Front Burner21:55Ukrainian conscription in the crosshairs
U.S. envoys to meet with Zelenskyy
The talks in the United Arab Emirates have been mediated by Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who, reflecting the unconventional approach of the White House, did not come to their roles with years of foreign diplomacy experience. Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, said talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi were a "first good step."
Kushner and Witkoff will travel to Moscow on Thursday, then meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin after their trip to Russia, Kushner said Wednesday.
David Arakhamia, a close ally of Zelenskyy, said Wednesday there was "good momentum" from peace talks in Abu Dhabi toward reaching a solution before the end of the year. The head of his Zelenskyy's faction in parliament, Arakhamia said the talks should be multilateral, not trilateral, adding that Europe should be represented.
Russia, Ukraine engage in 4-hour session on first day of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi
Analysis
Putin pushes the myth of Russian invincibility, seemingly to set his terms for peace
Zelenskyy, who like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending the talks, said Monday's "substantive" discussions had covered humanitarian and security issues.
Trump has intensified pressure on Kyiv to reach a deal, saying it is time for Ukraine to end the war or face "a very bad thing." Last week, he said the war was close to being settled in a "big beautiful agreement," but he has frequently predicted breakthroughs that have not materialized.
There has been no sign of major compromises or that new issues are being discussed more than 4½ years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In a photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters extinguish a garage fire following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday. (Ukrainian Emergency Service/The Associated Press)
Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukraine, but territory is not the only issue at stake. Others include future security guarantees, which both sides want, and Moscow's demands that Ukraine adopt neutral status and not join NATO.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly refused to hand over land that Ukrainian troops have died defending.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said wider security talks should only come after a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected the notion of a truce, saying the Europeans were trying to secure breathing space for Ukraine.
Deadly attacks continue
Russian advances at the front line have slowed this year, but Moscow has been pounding Ukrainian cities and energy sites, while Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure.
Each side said the other had launched attacks overnight, despite the peace talks being under way.
Kite flying in Ukraine: One N.S. veteran's mission to help children in a war zone
Video
Ukrainian war vet from Manitoba goes on epic hike to raise funds for war effort
A Russian strike on a busy market in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Wednesday killed three people and injured 11 others, the regional governor said.
Russia struck six large electricity substations in Ukraine's four central regions, Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said. Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz said Russian jet drones had hit one of its facilities in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, causing a fire and damaging equipment.
Drone debris killed two people after hitting an apartment building in Russia's Smolensk region bordering Belarus, the TASS news agency said, citing the regional governor.
One person was killed and two more injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, on Wednesday, local authorities said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea southwest of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa that was carrying weapons and military equipment for Ukraine's armed forces.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.