Prisoner swap breakthrough in Abu Dhabi as U.S.-EU rift widens over Ukraine talks

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, with U.S. mediation, reached an agreement in principle on a large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange during talks in Abu Dhabi, marking a significant humanitarian breakthrough in the conflict. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner called the upcoming swap the "biggest humanitarian release of prisoners" in the war, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed the release would be "significant." Deep disagreements over territory remain unresolved, though Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia noted "good momentum" toward a settlement despite Russia's "strict directives." The breakthrough coincided with diplomatic friction after U.S. President Donald Trump met privately with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev but not the Ukrainian delegation, proposing a deal involving all of Europe. European leaders rejected this, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying "Putin does not have a veto over European security." Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, meanwhile, reiterated Cairo's push for a negotiated settlement during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.