A swap of more than 1,000 prisoners each

The concrete result of the Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi was an agreement on the largest prisoner exchange since Russia's full-scale invasion began, reached at the first US-brokered negotiating session between the two sides since February. Both governments sent senior delegations to the two-day meetings, which were led by Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

Kushner said the planned swap is expected to involve more than 1,000 prisoners from each side, and framed it as a step that would "reunite families, build trust and create momentum towards peace".

Where the gaps remain

Beyond the exchange, the delegations found little common ground. Kushner acknowledged that the territorial dispute between Moscow and Kyiv remains unresolved, and described the bargaining itself as difficult: in his words, the negotiations are hard and complex, carried a heavy emotional charge, and were taking place against the backdrop of an active war.

Russia's position hardened the picture. Moscow wants control of all the Donbas, including areas still held by Ukrainian forces, plus parts of two southern regions it does not yet occupy.

Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, said every inch of Russian land would be returned one way or another, and that Moscow would be satisfied with the negotiations only when there is peace on its terms. He said the main task was to create a new European security system that would become a new Yalta and Potsdam.

Europe's contested seat at the table

European governments sent envoys to Abu Dhabi to try to influence the discussions, but they are not believed to have taken part directly. Medinsky dismissed their presence, mocking the envoys as "tourists".

• •Medinsky said that if European envoys had come as tourists, they could talk in the hotel lobby, and that Russia would consider only specific proposals.
• •Russian officials argue that countries supplying weapons to Kyiv cannot act as impartial mediators.
• •Medinsky said Russia would speak to European countries only when their conscience awakens and they stop arming Ukraine.

Kushner took a different view of Europe's problem. "If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement", he said, weighing that against Russian acceptance of European involvement. He added that one aim of the Moscow trip was to see if Europeans could be added to future talks, which covered postwar security.

Next stops: Moscow and Dublin

Ukraine's David Arakhamia said the Russian team had arrived with very, very strict directives, which made it difficult to narrow differences. He nevertheless reported really big progress on security guarantees for Ukraine after the war, and said: "I think we have good momentum to bring about a solution before the new year".

Kushner said the US had aligned on proposals with Ukraine and European partners to discuss with Putin in Moscow, to be followed by consultations with Zelenskyy. The discussions, he said, covered how to ensure the war does not start again once it ends.

Trump's envoys were due in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the proposals with Vladimir Putin, before heading to Dublin to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European partners.