Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Dublin Thursday after their planned Moscow talks, Anadolu Agency reported, as negotiations continue over a prisoner swap and Europe’s role in diplomacy.
Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the Abu Dhabi agenda included Ukraine’s security guarantees, a proposed exchange and how European partners might take part in future diplomatic efforts.
Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed a tentative arrangement to exchange prisoners, the Associated Press reported. No number of people to be released was announced. The AP reported that Kushner said negotiators still had to settle the exchange’s size, and that he saw the swap as a way to reunite families and build trust. The planned Moscow meeting is expected to address the outstanding figure, as EconoTimes previously reported in its coverage of the envoys’ Moscow plans.
The Associated Press said the Abu Dhabi round did not produce a major step toward ending the war. It also reported that Moscow opposed European participation, citing European countries’ financial and military support for Ukraine. The AP noted that previous exchanges included the return of 1,000 soldiers from each side last year.
The European Council said representatives met before the Abu Dhabi three-party talks. Separately, AP reported that Ukraine’s delegation expected a later meeting with European, EU and NATO representatives, who did not join the trilateral session. The next scheduled steps are the Moscow talks Thursday, Nov. 12, followed by the envoys’ meeting with Zelenskyy in Dublin.
