Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner-of-war exchange in Abu Dhabi, but no ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement to exchange prisoners of war at talks held on 10–11 November 2026 in Abu Dhabi. The US mediated the two-day talks, which ended without an agreement to halt hostilities.

Each side is expected to release 1,500 people

According to Euronews Bulgaria, each side is expected to release 1,500 people. The details of the exchange have not yet been fully agreed, US envoy Jared Kushner said. The prisoners have not yet been released: the final number, timetable and implementation of the exchange remain unconfirmed.

According to Vladimir Medinsky, who leads the Russian negotiators, the sides found common ground on some of the issues discussed. He also announced further meetings. Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia also gave a positive assessment of the talks and expressed hope that the disputes would be resolved by the end of the year, Euronews Bulgaria reported.

The exchange has humanitarian value in its own right for the prisoners and their families. However, it is not an operational pause and does not in itself indicate that the sides are moving closer on territorial issues or on future security guarantees for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy: Moscow is not ready to discuss a maritime and energy ceasefire

According to Digi24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv's representatives raised the issues of a Black Sea ceasefire and an energy ceasefire at the Abu Dhabi meeting. He said the Russian representatives replied that they had no mandate to discuss them, the Romanian news television channel Digi24 reported. Zelenskyy added that he expected a response after the US representatives' talks with Vladimir Putin.

Digi24 also cited anonymous sources quoted by the news outlet RBC-Ukraine, who said the Russian delegation had also refused to discuss territorial issues, steering the discussion towards Europe's future security architecture. This is their account of the Russian position, not an announced common framework for the negotiations.

For Bulgaria, the specific regional issue is the safety of shipping in the Black Sea. As no maritime ceasefire has been announced, these talks provide no basis for concluding that the risk has diminished. Should a future agreement be reached, its scope, start date and arrangements for verifying violations will matter.

Kushner announces meetings in Moscow and Dublin

Kushner said that he and Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, then to Dublin for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Euronews Bulgaria reported. This is an announced plan for further diplomatic meetings, not talks that have already taken place.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters in Norway that he had been in contact with the alliance's team in Abu Dhabi over the previous two days, AFP reported, as cited by OFFNews. He described the US, Ukraine and Europe as “fully aligned and united” and added that it was up to Russia to demonstrate a willingness to cooperate. His remarks were reported by OFFNews via AFP and BTA. Rutte's assessment of allied unity does not mean that an agreement on guarantees for Ukraine has been reached with Moscow.

No date or format has been announced for the next round of negotiations. Implementation of the exchange will be the next concrete indicator of the outcome of the Abu Dhabi meeting. This is a developing story and further information may be added.