Russia, Ukraine Agree to Major Prisoner Exchange

Russia and Ukraine have agreed in principle to a major prisoner-of-war (POW) exchange following two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, although no significant breakthrough was achieved towards ending Moscow's nearly five-year-old invasion.

The talks, the first since February, lasted nearly two hours on Wednesday after a four-hour session on Tuesday. Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, said the two sides had agreed to the largest humanitarian prisoner release, with the final numbers yet to be confirmed.

Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky and Ukraine's Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement in principle. The exchange could take place within two to three weeks.

Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff are scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday before travelling to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Major obstacles remain, including postwar security guarantees, Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and Europe's role in a potential settlement. Moscow opposed European participation in the direct negotiations, while Kyiv insisted that Europe must be represented at every stage of the diplomatic process.

Kushner said European countries, the European Union and NATO should join discussions on future security arrangements. He added that Russia had been asked to propose de-escalation measures acceptable to Europe.

Meanwhile, fighting continued, with casualties reported in Russian attacks on Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. Russia also claimed to have downed 627 Ukrainian drones overnight, while three workers were injured in a fire at the Ust-Luga oil export port.

In a separate development, a 49-year-old Indonesian man reportedly captured in Zaporizhzhia said he had unknowingly signed a construction work contract in Moscow before being sent to the battlefield. Indonesia's embassy in Kyiv was seeking access to him.