Kushner said the talks, which ended on November 11, 2026, marked “one of the positives” of the two-day meeting. Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and Russian delegate Vladimir Medinsky both confirmed the planned exchange.

Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow on November 12 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a visit to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The goal is to build on the progress and continue U.S. efforts to mediate a broader peace agreement.

The talks took place amid shifting U.S. political dynamics. Russia’s economy remains under pressure, while Ukraine struggles to recover from recent aerial attacks that damaged its power grid.

Kyiv’s delegation is expected to meet with European officials, though Russia has resisted direct European involvement in the negotiations. European governments, the EU, and NATO were present in Abu Dhabi and consulted with the Ukrainian side.

The talks focused largely on humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian civilians and children in Russian captivity. Zelenskyy called the second day of discussions “constructive and quite substantive.” Medinsky said mutual understanding had been achieved on some issues, but more talks are needed to resolve differences.

Despite the progress on prisoner exchanges, neither side has shown willingness to compromise on core issues such as territorial control or security guarantees. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting “very productive,” but cautioned that a breakthrough on ending the war will take time.

Fighting continues on the front lines, with little territorial change this year. Overnight, Russia struck the Zaporizhzhia region and Kharkiv, wounding civilians and damaging property. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported downing 627 Ukrainian drones, including 150 near St. Petersburg.