Ukraine-Russia Talks Yield Prisoner Swap, European Role

U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi produced no clear breakthrough, but the sides reportedly agreed to a major prisoner exchange and another round of negotiations. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said European partners would join the next talks, while the Kremlin said their participation depended on Europe showing a genuine willingness to contribute. European leaders backed a joint team involving Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Poland alongside the EU, but who will speak for the bloc remains unsettled. Kyiv has urged Europe to ensure its security interests are represented as Russia maintains hard-line territorial demands and Ukraine faces continued attacks and reported disruptions to its Starshield military communications service.