Abu Dhabi talks end with Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap deal but no breakthrough on peace

Two days of US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday with an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange, but without progress on the territorial and ceasefire disputes that stand in the way of a peace deal.

The meeting was the first direct round between Moscow and Kyiv in about nine months. Earlier talks stalled after the US and Israel went to war with Iran in February. The US side was led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, while Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky headed the Russian delegation.

A humanitarian deal, little else

Kushner described the planned swap as the largest humanitarian release of prisoners, and both Medinsky and Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed it. Final numbers were still to be settled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said on Tuesday that negotiators discussed 1,000 prisoners from each side, possibly rising to 1,500, according to Euronews.

The talks focused largely on a post-war security framework for Ukraine and Europe. Medinsky said the sides agreed on some points but not others, and restated Moscow's demand for territory, saying every inch of what Russia considers its land would be returned "one way or another", according to The Moscow Times. Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from the eastern Donbas region, which Kyiv refuses, and has rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire before wider security arrangements are agreed.

Zelenskyy has called the talks constructive but argued that giving up the Donbas would not stop Russia. He maintains that territorial questions can only be decided by leaders.

Europe's seat at the table

Washington has indicated that European countries should eventually join the negotiations, especially on security guarantees. Medinsky dismissed the European officials present in Abu Dhabi, saying Russia did not understand in what capacity they had come. Speaking in Dublin on Wednesday alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Zelenskyy urged European governments to decide this month who will represent them, saying the talks are likely to continue, Xinhua reported.

Witkoff and Kushner are due to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday before travelling to Ireland to meet Zelenskyy. European leaders are meeting in Dublin for a European Political Community summit on Thursday, followed by an informal EU leaders' meeting on Friday.

Why it matters for India

India has repeatedly called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war, and a durable settlement would ease pressure on global energy and food markets. Any movement towards peace also bears on India's ties with both Moscow, a key defence and oil partner, and the West.