U.S.‑Mediated Abu Dhabi Talks Yield Prisoner Exchange Plan but No Ceasefire

Overview

• Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and reported a negotiated large‑scale prisoner exchange while stopping short of a ceasefire or territorial deal.
• Moscow refused an immediate truce and blocked direct European participation, insisting that wider European security architecture be discussed before resolving frontline questions.
• U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff said they will press follow‑up talks by traveling to Moscow and then to Dublin to meet leaders and push the dialogue forward.
• Fighting continued during the talks, with Russian strikes hitting at least six Ukrainian power substations and rail links and causing outages, infrastructure damage and injuries.
• European officials urged a ceasefire as a precondition for broader security talks and warned that humanitarian pressures this winter — damaged energy networks and deported children — heighten the stakes of any deal.