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Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine

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The Straits Times. (2026, November 13). Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/kushner-says-us-working-toward-largest-prisoner-exchange-of-russias-war-in-ukraine

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The Straits Times · collected 2026-11-13 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's envoy, announced on November 12 that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to expand their next round of peace talks to include European nations, aiming to achieve the largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine. The talks, brokered by the US, would also address broader European security arrangements and territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia. Although progress has been made, significant differences remain, particularly regarding territorial disputes, with Russia holding a fifth of Ukraine and Kyiv refusing to relinquish control of its eastern Donbas region.
Written by AI on 2026-11-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).
See how they differ ↓

AI analysis

Story summary

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to conduct what is described as the "biggest ever" humanitarian release of prisoners of war following two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi. The negotiations, which represented the first meeting between the warring sides in nine months, concluded with reports of "good momentum" but failed to reach a definitive breakthrough on ending the war. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff participated in the mediation, with Kushner noting that the specific numbers for the exchange would be finalized shortly after the November 11, 2026 meeting. Following the talks, Kushner and Witkoff traveled to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin before heading to Dublin to debrief President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy hailed the agreement as a "real result" and stated that the exchange would bring soldiers home. Additionally, the sides agreed to expand the next round of peace talks to include European nations to further address the conflict.

Written for “Russia and Ukraine prisoner swap” on 2026-11-13, grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 149814 · logged 2026-11-13

How they differ

15 outlets covered “Russia and Ukraine prisoner swap”.

What each outlet says

One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.

The Straits TimesThis outlet13 Nov

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's envoy, announced on November 12 that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to expand their next round of peace talks to include European nations, aiming to achieve the largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of Russia's war in Ukraine. The talks, brokered by the US, would also address broader European security arrangements and territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia…

Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine (this article)2 articles from The Straits Times on this story
Just the News11 Nov

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large prisoner exchange following their first meeting in nine months. The negotiations took place in Abu Dhabi and were aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict between the two countries, which began around 12 years ago and intensified with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Vladimir Medinsky led the Russian delegation, while Rustem Umerov headed the…

Russia, Ukraine agree to prisoner swap, at end of first meeting in 9 months between warring sides →3 articles from Just the News on this story
The Independent11 Nov

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to a significant prisoner swap during peace discussions held over two days in Abu Dhabi, with the exchange expected to be finalized on Thursday. US envoy Jared Kushner called it the largest humanitarian prisoner release since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began four-and-a-half years ago. Despite this progress, substantial differences remain regarding territorial concessions…

Russia and Ukraine agree to biggest prisoner swap yet at Abu Dhabi peace summit →3 articles from The Independent on this story
Al Jazeera11 Nov

Russian and Ukrainian delegations, with U.S. mediation, held talks in Abu Dhabi that resulted in a significant prisoner exchange agreement. However, discussions did not achieve progress on ending the conflict due to disagreements over territorial control and future security protocols between the two countries.

Russia-Ukraine talks in UAE secure major prisoner exchange deal →2 articles from Al Jazeera on this story
Evening Standard12 Nov

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Dublin on Thursday to celebrate a finalized prisoner of war exchange with Russia. The envoys reported conducting intense, multi-hour negotiations with President Vladimir Putin in Abu Dhabi to secure the return of thousands of soldiers, which Zelensky called a "real result" and a successful milestone for families. The…

Zelensky hails ‘real result’ as prisoner exchange with Russia secured →2 articles from Evening Standard on this story
The Hindu11 Nov

Russia and Ukraine agreed to their largest-ever prisoner swap after U.S.-mediated talks held in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, 2026. U.S. envoy Jared Kushner announced that details of the exchange would be finalized the day after the agreement was made. The discussions also involved a visit by Mr. Kushner and fellow mediator Steve Witkoff to Moscow for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and later in Dublin…

Russia, Ukraine agree to major prisoner swap after U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi →
Show 8 more outlets
CBC11 Nov

Russia and Ukraine concluded two days of peace talks mediated by the United States in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky reported some mutual understanding had been reached but noted significant issues remain unresolved, with more discussions expected to follow. A large-scale prisoner swap involving over 1,000 captives from each side was agreed upon and is anticipated within two to…

Russia-Ukraine talks mediated by U.S. end with news of 'good momentum,' large-scale prisoner swap →
NPR11 Nov

During U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, Russian and Ukrainian officials agreed to a major exchange of prisoners of war following two days of negotiations. Jared Kushner, representing the Trump administration, announced that both sides aim to finalize the details of this humanitarian release soon. Despite low expectations for significant breakthroughs due to ongoing conflict, officials remain hopeful about future…

Russia and Ukraine agree to a large exchange of prisoners of war, officials say →
Washington Examiner11 Nov

Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement for a large-scale prisoner exchange after two days of U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi. The American delegation was led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Although the negotiations made progress on humanitarian issues, significant disagreements over territorial control and postwar security arrangements remain unresolved.

Russia and Ukraine settle on large prisoner swap after no major developments from talks →
South China Morning Post11 Nov

Russia and Ukraine agreed on a prisoner exchange during two days of U.S.-mediated talks, which concluded without major progress on resolving the ongoing conflict that began nearly five years ago with Russia's full-scale invasion. The discussions faced key obstacles such as post-war security arrangements, the status of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, and the involvement of European nations in a potential peace…

Russia, Ukraine agree on prisoner exchange as talks end without major breakthrough →
ABC News (AU)11 Nov

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a large prisoner swap following two days of US-mediated talks held in Abu Dhabi. The deal was confirmed by representatives from both countries' delegations, Vladimir Medinsky for Russia and Rustem Umerov for Ukraine. Following the agreement, US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff plan to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr…

Ukraine and Russia agree to large prisoner swap after US-mediated talks →
CBS News11 Nov

U.S.-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi resulted in an agreement for a large prisoner exchange, though Russia’s demand for territorial recognition remains unresolved. Jared Kushner, one of the U.S. negotiators, confirmed that both sides would finalize details of the humanitarian release on Thursday. Despite initial skepticism, officials expressed cautious optimism about progress…

U.S. brokers Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap, but peace not in sight →
The Guardian11 Nov

At talks brokered by the US in Abu Dhabi, Russia and Ukraine have made significant progress towards a large prisoner exchange involving more than 1,000 prisoners from each side but showed little movement on achieving a broader peace deal. Both countries sent high-level delegations led by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff of the Trump administration to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine post-war, with David…

Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi bring progress on prisoners but not on peace →
Global News11 Nov

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a significant exchange of prisoners of war following two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi that concluded without major progress toward ending Russia's five-year invasion of Ukraine. While both sides confirmed the planned prisoner swap, which could happen within the next few weeks, there was no substantial movement on key issues such as post-war security guarantees and the…

Russia, Ukraine to exchange prisoners but talks end with no big breakthrough →

Where they agree and split

Agreed

Reported by outlets on both sides of the middle

Russia's Defence Ministry said that air defences downed 627 Ukrainian drones overnight, 150 of them over the region around St. Petersburg, according to the regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko.

5 outlets
Show 3 more

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, and Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv's delegation in Abu Dhabi, confirmed the planned exchange.

5 outlets

Hopes were low for any major breakthrough in the first meeting in nine months between the delegations.

5 outlets

U.S. officials say they are determined to revive Washington's peace efforts that so far have failed to deliver significant results.

5 outlets

Framing

How the first headlines put it

Attributed to a source2
Stated as fact12
The headlines (14)

Russia and Ukraine agree to a large exchange of prisoners of war, officials say NPR · attributed to a source

Russia, Ukraine reach deal on prisoner swop as US says lack of trust holds back talks The Straits Times · attributed to a source

Russia, Ukraine agree to major prisoner swap after U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi The Hindu · stated as fact

Russia-Ukraine talks mediated by U.S. end with news of 'good momentum,' large-scale prisoner swap CBC · stated as fact

Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi end with prisoner exchange agreement Al Jazeera · stated as fact

Russia and Ukraine Agree on Large-Scale Prisoner Exchange NBC News · stated as fact

Russia, Ukraine agree to prisoner swap, at end of first meeting in 9 months between warring sides Just the News · stated as fact

Russia and Ukraine settle on large prisoner swap after no major developments from talks Washington Examiner · stated as fact

Russia, Ukraine agree on prisoner exchange as talks end without major breakthrough South China Morning Post · stated as fact

Ukraine and Russia agree to large-scale prisoner exchange after second day of talks The Independent · stated as fact

Ukraine and Russia agree to large prisoner swap after US-mediated talks ABC News (Australia) · stated as fact

U.S. brokers Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap, but peace not in sight CBS News · stated as fact

Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi bring progress on prisoners but not on peace The Guardian · stated as fact

Russia, Ukraine to exchange prisoners but talks end with no big breakthrough Global News · stated as fact

The full story: what happened, how it changed, and all 23 articles →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Washington Examiner
Leans left Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the conflict, one about the sharing of soldier information and the other about a potential prisoner exchange, indicating distinct events.”
NBC News
Outlet record 77/100
The Independent
Hedges 4 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Independent
Hedges 4 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 71 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 58 claims Outlet record 64/100
The Hindu
Hedges 2 of 26 claims Outlet record 78/100
“While both articles discuss U.S.-brokered talks leading to a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, they describe different stages of the negotiation process, with Article A focusing on the initial agreement and Article B on subsequent developments including European involvement.”
The Guardian
Leans right Hedges 5 of 36 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss prisoner exchanges and peace talks, they refer to different stages of the negotiation process: Article A covers the initial agreement reached during the first two-day talks, while Article B discusses the expansion of future talks to include European nations.”
The Straits Times
Hedges 6 of 13 claims Outlet record 65/100
“The articles describe different stages or outcomes of the peace talks, with Article A reporting on the progress made in talks that ended on Nov 11, and Article B discussing the next round of talks including European nations on Nov 12.”

Story

Russia and Ukraine prisoner swap
Politics · 23 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
12
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
65/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
23
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Straits Times · 5035 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

The Straits Times
3400 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
Trump took no action either time, and brought Huang with him on a trip to China in May.
It was not immediately clear what potential role Alice Huang, or entities connected to her, could have played in smuggling Super Micro products into China.
It is hard to imagine the current AI boom happening without Huang, his company and their chips, and it is hard to imagine what it will look like after his fall.
2026-11-13 · assertive framing · Inside Jensen Huang’s last hours as Nvidia CEO
Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine WASHINGTON, Nov 12 - US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European nations as Washington works toward the war's "largest prisoner exchange." The remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed news of European presence at the next round of the US-brokered peace talks, saying he hoped the agenda would include efforts towards ceasefires and defusing the conflict. "
Bessent is set to join US President Donald Trump in Asia in the next week, where he is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Alice Huang could not be reached for comment.
New York mayor expands probe after Brooklyn building collapse kills 8 AI generated
A big question would be who fills the role of tech visionary if she runs the company.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced what she described as a “senseless act of gun violence”.
Their proposed AI Overwatch Act would give Congress a larger role in reviewing changes to export rules.
Also by The Straits Times
Inside Jensen Huang’s last hours as Nvidia CEO
2026-11-13 · The Straits Times
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 3400 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

European Moscow Russia Ukraine WASHINGTON

Subjects

European NORP · 6× Kushner PERSON · 6× Ukraine GPE · 6× Russia GPE · 5× WASHINGTON GPE · 4× Kyiv GPE · 2× Moscow GPE · 2× Witkoff PERSON · 2× Zelenskiy PERSON · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine WASHINGTON, Nov 12 - US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European nations as Washington works toward the war's "largest prisoner exchange." The remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed news of European presence at the next round of the US-brokered peace talks, saying he hoped the agenda would include efforts towards ceasefires and defusing the conflict. "
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-13
Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine WASHINGTON, Nov 12 - US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European nations as Washington works toward the war's "largest prisoner exchange." The remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed news of European presence at the next round of the US-brokered peace talks, saying he hoped the agenda would include efforts towards ceasefires and defusing the conflict. "

Claims (12 extracted, 0 hedged)

Kushner says US working toward 'largest prisoner exchange' of Russia's war in Ukraine WASHINGTON, Nov 12 - US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European nations as Washington works toward the war's "largest prisoner exchange." The remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed news of European presence at the next round of the US-brokered peace talks, saying he hoped the agenda would include efforts towards ceasefires and defusing the conflict. " asserted
agenda → say → conflict
We are also working toward what would be the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families," Kushner wrote on X, without giving details of the deal. asserted
Kushner → work → deal
Expansion of the next round of talks with European partners would allow the tackling of "broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia," Kushner said. asserted
Kushner → allow → Ukraine
Washington was encouraged by the progress made, he said, but added that significant differences remained. asserted
differences → encourage → progress
Zelenskiy, speaking after talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Kushner, said it was important the process had resumed, following this week's round of talks in Abu Dhabi that was the first in nine months. asserted
that → speak → months
Earlier Witkoff said Vladimir Putin agreed to let European representatives join the next round of talks, though the Russian president also urged Washington to work with European allies to understand if they wanted peace or war in Ukraine. asserted
they → say → Ukraine
Kushner and Witkoff traveled to Moscow to meet Putin and to Dublin to meet Zelenskiy. asserted
Kushner → travel → Zelenskiy
In his statement, Kushner said a lasting end to the fighting required credible security guarantees and "reciprocal" de-escalation commitments to reduce risk of future conflict. asserted
end → say → conflict
Kyiv and Moscow said major differences remained despite some progress, particularly on territorial issues. asserted
differences → say → issues
Russia holds a fifth of Ukraine and Kyiv refuses to give up the rest of its eastern region of Donbas. asserted
Kyiv → hold → Donbas
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. asserted
Russia → launch → February
Trump, who vowed to end the war when he returned to the White House, is yet to reach a deal on that front. asserted
he → vow → front
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