Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday on what would be the largest prisoner-of-war exchange since the conflict began nearly five years ago, following two days of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi.
Jared Kushner, the Trump adviser and son-in-law leading the American delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff, announced the agreement to reporters but said the exact number of prisoners to be freed would not be finalized until Thursday.
“One of the positives is we agreed that we’re going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we’re going to finalize the numbers tomorrow,” Kushner said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that the two sides had discussed exchanging 1,000 prisoners each, with the possibility of expanding that figure to 1,500 per side. Russian officials have said the exchange could happen within the next two to three weeks.
In a statement, the U.S. delegation called the agreement “an important humanitarian breakthrough,” saying it would “reunite families, build trust, and create momentum toward peace.” The statement described the Abu Dhabi talks as the first trilateral discussions since February and characterized them as “serious, detailed, and frank,” with both countries offering “specific ideas to narrow the gaps and find a path to end the war.”
Kushner called the negotiations “a very tough meeting but a productive one,” and said disputes over territory remain the hardest issue to resolve on the road to a broader peace deal.
Kushner and Witkoff are scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, then continue to Dublin, Ireland, for consultations with Zelensky. According to the U.S. delegation’s statement, the two envoys have aligned with Ukraine and European partners on proposals to raise with Putin, with the goal of advancing toward wider multilateral negotiations aimed at a lasting peace and what the statement called “a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine.”
The statement acknowledged that “significant differences remain” but said the U.S. is “committed to building on the progress made.”
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