Abu Dhabi talks yield prisoner exchange but no peace deal as envoys reach Moscow

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on November 12 for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, carrying the results of two days of US-mediated negotiations in Abu Dhabi that ended with a prisoner-exchange agreement but no visible breakthrough on ending the nearly five-year war.

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special representative, welcomed the pair at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. Kushner said the meeting would "go over what was discussed" in Abu Dhabi and seek progress "because we see some openings and some opportunities." The visit marks the 10th time Witkoff has traveled to Russia for talks with Putin.

After Moscow, the envoys are expected to fly to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Ireland to meet European leaders. Zelensky gave a muted welcome to the prisoner-exchange outcome, calling it a positive step, while insisting Ukraine will not give in to demands. He said there could be a "window of opportunity" to end the war before 2027.

The shuttle diplomacy tests whether the US can convert a single humanitarian agreement into momentum on the core issues that remain unresolved. Russia continues to demand Ukraine's withdrawal from parts of eastern Ukraine it still controls — a position Kyiv has rejected. The Abu Dhabi talks produced no sign of movement on that front.

What the envoys specifically proposed to Putin, and how he responded, has not been disclosed. Whether the prisoner exchange will be implemented, and on what timeline, is also unstated. The envoys' next stop in Dublin will show what, if anything, they brought back from Moscow that Zelensky can use.