Why Are Witkoff and Kushner Going to Moscow After Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi Talks End With a Prisoner Swap Deal as Kushner and Witkoff Head to Putin
Ukraine-Russia talks latest: Abu Dhabi ended with a prisoner swap deal, and Kushner and Witkoff fly to Moscow to see Putin, then to Dublin for Zelensky.
In this article
Context
The US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday 11 November with one agreement: a large exchange of prisoners of war. The numbers are still open. Jared Kushner said right after the session that he and Steve Witkoff would fly to Moscow the next day to see Vladimir Putin, then go to Dublin to meet Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Steve Witkoff and I are going to travel to Moscow tomorrow to meet with Putin to go over what was discussed today,” Kushner told reporters in Abu Dhabi. “We see some openings and some opportunities.” Wednesday’s session lasted under two hours, after four and a half hours on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s exchanges, when Sergey Lavrov ruled out a ceasefire before a security deal and Zelensky said Russia had brought a map of land it does not hold, are covered in our day two preview.
Key takeaways
Kushner said the sides agreed on “the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners,” with figures due on Thursday. Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russia’s delegation, said that on security “in some places we reached an understanding, in other places we did not.” The Kremlin said its delegation had no contact with the Europeans in Abu Dhabi. Zelensky told the Danish parliament that “Europe must have a seat at the negotiating table.”
What Kushner said
Kushner spoke after the trilateral session closed. “We agreed that we’re going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners,” he said, adding that the numbers would be finalised on Thursday. He also said there was no trust between the two sides. He named territory as the hardest issue still to settle.
On Tuesday, opening the talks, Kushner had answered the question he said Europeans ask most, whether Putin is ready for peace. “From what Steve and I have heard from him, we can say very strongly we believe so under the right conditions,” he said.
The Moscow leg was announced in Abu Dhabi before the Kremlin confirmed it. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, then said a visit by the two envoys in the coming days was possible. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Putin had not yet received the delegation’s full report.
What Medinsky and the Kremlin said
Medinsky, a Putin adviser, confirmed the planned exchange at a press conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. He gave no figures. Asked about guarantees for Ukraine and Europe after the war, he said: “In some places we reached an understanding, in other places we did not.” He did not say where.
He was blunter about the European officials who met Ukraine’s team in the city. “We don’t understand what status they have here,” Medinsky said. “We don’t understand where we can agree with them on anything.” Europe could become a “full-fledged” partner, he said, once its “conscience awakens.” He praised the American envoys and said Europe could learn from them.
Peskov said on Wednesday morning that the Russian delegation had no contacts with European Union representatives in Abu Dhabi and had planned none. The delegation was reporting to Putin throughout, he said.
What Kyiv said
Rustem Umerov, who led Ukraine’s delegation, confirmed the exchange. He said the Ukrainian team would meet European officials in Abu Dhabi after the trilateral session.
Zelensky called Tuesday’s session “constructive and quite substantive.” He told reporters that the sides had discussed a swap of “1,000 for 1,000” or “1,500 for 1,500”. The talks also covered civilians held by Russia and Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
On Wednesday Zelensky addressed the Folketing, the Danish parliament, from the rostrum of its main chamber. He was the first foreign head of state to do so. “We keep hearing that Russia supposedly needs security guarantees,” he said, and added that “it is unlikely that they are talking about genuine security and peace.” He then said: “Europe must have a seat at the negotiating table.”
The war while they talked
The fighting went on during both days. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences brought down 627 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday, 150 of them over the St Petersburg region. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, said drones started a fire at the oil port of Ust-Luga and injured three workers. Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv wounded seven civilians, Ukrainian officials said.
Analysis
Why are Witkoff and Kushner going to Moscow?
Kushner’s own words give the reason: to “go over what was discussed today” with the one man who decides Russia’s position. Medinsky’s answer on security, an understanding “in some places,” leaves the substance to Putin. Peskov said Putin had not yet read the full report when the trip was announced.
The envoys go to Moscow first and to Zelensky second. In Dublin they will carry what Putin tells them. Kyiv’s delegation, by Umerov’s account, briefed the Europeans in Abu Dhabi. Russia’s, by Peskov’s account, did not.
Abu Dhabi hosted two days of talks in February that ended with an exchange of 314 prisoners, 157 from each side, and no truce. A swap is the item both delegations can sign without touching territory.
Analysis
How the statements connect
Medinsky said he does not know what status the Europeans have. Zelensky, on the same day, told a European parliament that Europe must sit at the table. Peskov confirmed that no Russian met a European in Abu Dhabi. The three statements describe one fact from two sides: Europe is in the room with Kyiv only.
Kushner said on Tuesday that he believes Putin is ready for peace “under the right conditions.” On Wednesday he said there is no trust between the parties and that territory is the hardest issue. Zelensky said Russia’s talk of security guarantees is unlikely to mean “genuine security and peace.”
The prisoner numbers, “1,000 for 1,000” or “1,500 for 1,500” in Zelensky’s words, would be at least double the 500 for 500 that Medinsky announced after the March round. They are also the only number the two sides now share.
The earlier rounds are in our first-day account and our guide to what the talks would cover.
What to watch
Thursday 12 November: Kushner said the prisoner numbers would be finalised. A figure of 1,000 or more per side would be the largest agreed in this year’s rounds.
The Moscow meeting the same day. A Kremlin readout from Ushakov usually follows such meetings; watch whether it mentions territory or only “humanitarian” items.
Dublin, after Moscow. What Zelensky says after hearing Putin’s reply from the envoys is the first test of whether the “openings” Kushner described are real.
19 November: the Coalition of the Willing summit in Berlin, where Zelensky has said Europe should decide who negotiates for it. Medinsky’s line on European “status” is the answer that summit will have to deal with.
The swap is real progress for the families of prisoners. Nothing said in Abu Dhabi moves the front line, and the next step now depends on Putin.
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