10.11.2026 19:31

Ukraine and Russia may conduct another large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange following the talks in Abu Dhabi, but no more significant breakthroughs should be expected, according to a Ukrainian lawmaker.

Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, expressed this view in a comment to Ukrinform.

“A prisoner-of-war exchange is possible. There is no question of replicating the Oleshky experience (a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians – ed.). Nothing has changed. Putin will not abandon his demands. His position will not change one iota,” Merezhko said.

He described the meeting in Abu Dhabi as “talks for the sake of talks.” The lawmaker added that Putin would agree to genuine negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine only if he had no other choice.

Russia could be pushed toward such negotiations through intensified strikes on its territory and additional sanctions imposed by Ukraine’s partners, Merezhko said.

Commenting on a report by The Economist that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had proposed changing the boundaries of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to allow Russian leader Vladimir Putin to claim full control over them without actually transferring settlements currently held by Ukraine’s Defense Forces, Merezhko described the idea as a provocation aimed at dividing Ukrainian society.

“This is Putin’s idea, which he floated through Kushner and Witkoff. Note that no one said Russia was ready for a ceasefire if Ukraine agreed to changes in the boundaries of Donetsk and Luhansk regions without handing over cities controlled by the Defense Forces. The Russian president is feigning a willingness to compromise in an attempt to avoid tougher sanctions,” the lawmaker stressed.

Merezhko also made clear that he saw no prospect of the U.S. negotiators’ proposal being implemented.

“I simply see no logic or purpose in it. It is yet another absurd idea,” said the chair of the parliamentary committee on foreign policy and interparliamentary cooperation.

As Ukrinform reported, thelatest round of talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia on ending the war concluded in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital. Negotiations are scheduled to resume on November 11.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during the first day of talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine, the United States, and Russia discussed humanitarian measures, the release of prisoners of war, security guarantees, and de-escalation.

(C)UNIAN 2026