(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Russia and Ukraine agreed to the largest prisoner exchange to date after two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. However, there are still obvious differences between Russia and Ukraine on core issues such as territorial ownership, post-war security and ceasefire arrangements. Ukraine wants to ensure that Moscow does not launch another invasion, while Russia demands that NATO withdraw its troops from its borders.
In addition to post-war security guarantees for both countries, other major obstacles facing negotiators are the future fate of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and what role European countries will play in a final settlement. Russia has long demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the eastern region, including parts of the Donbas region that are still controlled by Ukraine. Its core purpose is to completely control and occupy parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Zelensky once again ruled out the possibility of Ukrainian troops withdrawing from Donbas and rejected a territorial compromise proposed by the United States.
Jared Kushner, the U.S. special envoy and President Trump's son-in-law who participated in the talks, said after the talks: "The positive thing is that we agreed to conduct the largest humanitarian prisoner of war exchange, and the specific number will be finalized tomorrow (12th)." Kushner also said that he and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will go to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then fly to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, and Rustem Umerov, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, confirmed the plan to exchange prisoners of war, although Medinsky noted that the agreement was only "in principle" for now.
When talking about this meeting, he said: "We have exchanged views with the United States on this; we have reached consensus on some issues, but not on other issues. Of course, relevant discussions will continue. The world needs a new, modern, and up-to-date security system. This system should be fair and not put any specific country at a disadvantage."
After the talks, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia expressed appreciation for the "good momentum" the negotiations had shown. "I think we have good momentum to hopefully find a solution before the New Year," he said, adding he hoped the next round of talks could be held "as soon as possible." Arahamiya is a close ally of Zelensky and the head of Zelensky’s parliamentary group.
Ukraine meets European envoys in Abu Dhabi
Europe has been excluded from formal talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi. But after the trilateral talks, separate meetings took place between representatives of Ukraine, the United States and European governments, the European Union and NATO. Zelensky welcomed the United States for bringing Europe "to the negotiating table," telling reporters: "It's not easy to get Europe involved."
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stressed the day before that in the future process, the negotiation format should "include our European partners because they are an important part of the long-term solution to this issue."
Moscow does not want European countries to participate in direct negotiations and accuses Europe of providing funds and weapons to Ukraine. European countries are concerned about Russia's behavior and its broader intentions on the continent.
Kushner said that one of his goals in going to Moscow was to get the European side to join the talks. Kushner said both Ukraine and Russia need clarity on post-war security arrangements. He believes that European countries, the EU and NATO must participate in these discussions in order to reach consensus on next steps.
While the talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States are ongoing, the fighting on the front lines between Russia and Ukraine continues. Since this year, there has been almost no change in the territorial scope actually controlled by both sides. The two countries continue to use long-range missiles and drones to attack each other. However, the context of the negotiations has changed compared to the last meeting in Geneva in February.
Russia’s “war economy” is under severe pressure; Ukraine is reeling from devastating air strikes on its power grid.
In addition, with the U.S. midterm elections over, Democrats who will control the House and Senate in January next year may demand more support for Ukraine. This is a situation the Trump administration has to face.
