On 10 November 2026, during talks in Abu Dhabi, Kirill Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, discussed the details of a large-scale prisoner exchange with senior officials from the Russian Federal Security Service. According to the publication «GORDON», which cites sources familiar with the course of the meeting, the exchange is planned to take place in the near future. News of the agreement was also reported by «Interfax-Ukraine», «Ukrainska Pravda» and «Radio Svoboda», citing sources close to the Ukrainian delegation. There has been no official confirmation as yet that the exchange has been finalised.
- Kirill Budanov discussed a possible large-scale prisoner exchange with representatives of Russia’s FSB in Abu Dhabi.
- According to «GORDON», his interlocutors were Dmitry Minaev and Alexey Komkov.
- Sources at several Ukrainian media outlets have reported that an agreement has been reached to carry out the exchange in the near future.
- Zelenskyy confirmed that the release of prisoners of war was one of the priorities of the negotiations.
- The second day of talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia is scheduled for 11 November.
Who did Budanov discuss the prisoner exchange with?
According to the publication «GORDON», on the first day tripartite talks in the United Arab Emirates Kirill Budanov held talks with two representatives of the Russian security services.
We are talking about Dmitry Minaev, whom the publication identifies as the head of the Russian FSB’s counter-intelligence operations department, and Alexei Komkov — Head of the Operational Information and International Relations Service of the FSB.
According to the journalists’ sources, the main topic of discussion was the practical details of the forthcoming exchange of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war.
At the same time, the number of people due to be released, the terms of the exchange and its exact date have not yet been disclosed. Nor has there been any official announcement regarding the finalisation of the lists.
Abu Dhabi has announced an agreement on an exchange
On 10 November, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported, citing a source close to the Ukrainian negotiating team, that the parties had reached an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange.
Journalists from «Ukrainska Pravda» and «Radio Svoboda» have received similar information. According to their sources, the exchange is due to take place in the near future, although the details have not been disclosed.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy After the first day of talks, he confirmed that the delegations had discussed the release of prisoners, de-escalation and security guarantees.
«The release of prisoners of war is a priority», — emphasised the Head of State.
At the same time, the President has not announced a large-scale prisoner exchange that has been finally agreed upon. Consequently, reports that an agreement has been reached are currently based on information from Ukrainian media sources.
When might the next prisoner exchange take place?
On the eve of the talks Kirill Budanov He stated that Ukraine is seeking to speed up the return of its citizens from Russian captivity. He expressed the hope that the meetings in the UAE would yield practical results.
The most recent confirmed exchange took place on 23 October 2026. According to official figures from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 270 people, including military personnel and civilians, returned to Ukraine on that occasion.
Negotiations in Abu Dhabi are taking place on 10–11 November, with the US acting as mediator. The Ukrainian delegation is led by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov. Its members also include Kirill Budanov, Sergey Kislitsa, David Arahamia and Vadym Skibitskyi.
The first day of the talks concluded on 10 November. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, the talks will resume on the morning of 11 November.
As of the evening of 10 November, several Ukrainian media outlets are reporting that an agreement has been reached on a large-scale prisoner exchange. However, the date, the number of participants and the final terms remain unknown. The next round of talks is due to take place on 11 November.
