Abu Dhabi talks end with prisoner-exchange agreement, no peace breakthrough
November 13, 9:15pm Sydney update
US envoy Jared Kushner said Washington was working toward what could be the war's largest prisoner exchange, potentially reuniting thousands with their families. This is an objective under discussion, not a completed release. European governments were still debating who should represent them in the proposed expanded talks.
A Russian attack damaged a hospital in Kyiv and triggered a fire overnight. Injury reports differed, so no final injury count is given here. Russia separately claimed it shot down nearly 1,200 Ukrainian drones overnight; the military claim has not been independently verified.
Earlier reporting retained for context
Update: November 12, 2026
Two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi ended on November 11 with Russia and Ukraine agreeing to a large prisoner exchange, while major disputes over a peace settlement remained unresolved. Published reporting reporting carried by the published report described the proposed swap as an agreement still to be carried out, not a completed release.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were due to travel to Moscow and then Dublin on November 12 for meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. The final scale of the prisoner exchange was still being settled; this report does not treat a proposed number or timetable as a completed outcome.
Territory and post-war security arrangements remain obstacles. European representatives held separate consultations in Abu Dhabi, but Russia said its delegation did not meet them. European participation in a future negotiating format was still being discussed. No ceasefire or final peace agreement was announced.
Earlier reporting, retained below
Russian, Ukrainian and US officials began a second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with no public sign of a breakthrough on territory or security guarantees.
Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said trilateral talks would be followed by a separate meeting with European partners. The Kremlin said its delegation had no planned contact with European representatives there.
The sides remained far apart despite optimistic public statements. Reports of new attacks continued during the talks, but those military claims had not been independently verified.
Earlier report (Published2026-11-08|)
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are due to meet in Abu Dhabi for US-brokered talks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying recent battlefield developments have strengthened Kyiv's negotiating position. His claims of Russian losses are disputed by Moscow and are not independently established by the diplomatic announcement.
The two-day discussions are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, at about 5:30pm Australian eastern daylight time. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are leading Washington's mediation. European representatives are travelling to Abu Dhabi, but Russia says the negotiations themselves remain a three-way process involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces and long-range strikes had put pressure on Russia and urged Washington to persuade the Kremlin to end the war. President Donald Trump separately said he saw a very strong inclination towards ending the conflict and described both sides as tired of fighting. Those comments express the leaders' positions, not proof of an agreed settlement.
A US official has suggested private flexibility on possible territorial arrangements. Ukraine has publicly rejected surrendering territory, while Russia continues to demand the whole Donbas region. A senior Ukrainian official has denied that Kyiv would consider the concessions described in earlier reporting.
Security guarantees are expected to be central to the talks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that the process still had some way to go. No ceasefire, territorial exchange or completed peace agreement has been announced in the available reporting.
November 13, 7:13pm Sydney update: European participation proposed, not a peace agreement
After meetings in Moscow and near Dublin, US envoy Jared Kushner said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to include European partners in the next round of negotiations. Published reporting reporting confirms that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Europe having a voice, while the published report also stresses that Moscow had not confirmed its agreement to the expanded format. The US envoy's account should therefore remain attributed, rather than being presented as a separately confirmed joint decision by every party.
published reporting reports that European governments were still debating whether one envoy or several should represent them and that there was no consensus on the choice. Who attends, the authority of any representative and the scope of the talks remain different questions. European participation would not itself mean agreement on territory, post-war security or a ceasefire.
The published report also reports that major differences persisted, including Russia's territorial demands and opposition to foreign peacekeeping troops. The reviewed reports do not announce a final peace settlement or a completed new prisoner exchange. Predictions that Washington will inevitably abandon Ukraine or that Russia will necessarily attack other European states next are not established by the participation announcement and are not presented here as verified facts. The existing photograph remains an archive illustration of Abu Dhabi, the earlier talks venue, not a picture of the Moscow or Dublin meetings.
