157: The prisoner swap that marked the last trilateral breakthrough before Abu Dhabi talks
Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. convene in Abu Dhabi for the fourth round of direct talks, following a period of stalled progress since early 2026.
By Giulia Marshall ·
The diplomatic effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine has produced few concrete results since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are set to meet in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday and Wednesday in the latest attempt to secure a peace agreement.
The most tangible outcome from recent trilateral discussions occurred in February 2026. A second round of talks in Abu Dhabi resulted in the exchange of 157 prisoners from each side. This swap followed an initial prisoner exchange in May 2025, where 1,000 detainees were traded during a meeting in Istanbul mediated by Turkey.
Key figures in the current process include U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have conducted separate meetings with delegations from both nations. On the Ukrainian side, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Chief of General Staff Gen. Andriy Hnatov have led recent delegations. Russian officials, including Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, have held parallel discussions with the American team.
Talks reached a pause in late 2025 and early 2026 as the U.S. and Israel engaged in a conflict with Iran. During this hiatus, a localized ceasefire was established for the region around the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine. This pause allowed for the evacuation of residents and the delivery of food and supplies following intervention by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV.
The resumption of negotiations was confirmed in late October 2026. Ushakov stated that President Vladimir Putin agreed in principle with Witkoff to resume talks after November 10. This decision follows a series of high-level contacts, including a meeting between Witkoff and Kushner with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on September 6, and a prior visit to Moscow on September 5.
Previous multilateral efforts have largely failed to produce a unified agreement. A summit in Nidwalden, Switzerland, involving representatives from 92 nations in June 2024, ended without consensus. Similarly, a third round of trilateral negotiations in Geneva in February 2026 concluded without a breakthrough. The current Abu Dhabi meetings represent the first known instance of Trump administration officials sitting with both countries to try to halt the war since the process began in earnest under current U.S. leadership.
