Ukraine said an agreement for a large prisoner exchange emerged from Abu Dhabi talks, as European leaders gathered in Dublin for the ninth European Political Community summit amid Russia’s war.
The Ukrainian presidency said the Nov. 10-11 talks brought together Ukrainian, U.S. and European representatives. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy identified the E4 format, the European Commission and NATO among the European participants. He said the exchange was expected to be large but gave no number or date for when it might take place.
Euronews reported that the Abu Dhabi talks did not produce a ceasefire. At the Dublin gathering, European Council President António Costa described concrete progress on Europe’s Ukraine priorities as limited. Costa put a ceasefire first, then called for reopening Black Sea navigation and steps toward a peace agreement.
Dublin hosted the EPC’s ninth summit on Nov. 12, co-chaired by Costa and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin. The invitation list included 48 heads of state and government. Costa said the forum began in Prague in October 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion, to give leaders across the continent a place to discuss security.
After meeting Zelenskyy in Dublin, Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would continue financial and military aid and support a postwar reconstruction plan and Ukraine’s path to EU membership.
EU leaders are due to meet informally in Dublin on Friday. At the European Council on Nov. 26-27, leaders are scheduled to discuss Ukraine’s 2027 financing needs, while the European Commission is due to present its 22nd sanctions package against Russia.
