# Russia and Ukraine agree to a large prisoner exchange as talks end with no major breakthrough

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russia-and-ukraine-agree-to-a-large-prisoner-exchange-as-talks-end-with-no-major-breakthrough/
- Published: 2026-11-12T00:16:09+00:00
- Original publisher: PBS NewsHour (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russia-and-ukraine-agree-to-a-large-prisoner-exchange-as-talks-end-with-no-major-breakthrough
- Topics: Europe, Politics, World

## Key points

- Russia and Ukraine confirmed a prisoner exchange in principle.
- The Abu Dhabi talks produced no major peace breakthrough.
- Kyiv says Europe must be involved in negotiations.

## Summary

Russia and Ukraine have now confirmed an agreement in principle for a large prisoner-of-war exchange, the clearest concrete outcome from two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi. The discussions ended without a major breakthrough on ending the invasion, and Kyiv and Moscow remain divided over occupied territory and postwar security.

The final exchange numbers were due to be confirmed the following day, with a Russian official saying the swap could happen within two or three weeks. The talks were the first between the delegations in nine months; Wednesday’s session lasted just under two hours, following four hours on Tuesday. Jared Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff were due to meet Vladimir Putin, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not cede occupied territory and called for Europe to take part in negotiations.

## Coverage

- [PBS NewsHour: Russia and Ukraine agree to a large prisoner exchange as talks end with no major breakthrough](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russia-and-ukraine-agree-to-a-large-prisoner-exchange-as-talks-end-with-no-major-breakthrough)
- [France 24: Russia and Ukraine agree to major prisoner swap as peace talks end](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261111-russia-and-ukraine-agree-to-major-prisoner-swap-as-peace-talks-end)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.