World News Briefing Wednesday
Ukraine and Russia agreed on a large-scale prisoner exchange mediated by the US. In Yemen, 44 people were killed in airstrikes attributed to Saudi Arabia. A fire broke out on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and the UN warned of famine in Lebanon.
Ukraine and Russia agreed on a large-scale prisoner exchange mediated by the US, according to the head of the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine praised what it called "positive momentum" after two days of talks. Meanwhile, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Russia would continue talks with Ukraine but stressed that Moscow sees no reason to meet with Europeans on this matter. This comes as Ukraine insists Moscow halt fighting before any discussion of future European security arrangements. US envoy Jared Kushner announced at the conclusion of the talks that he would meet his counterpart Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, before heading to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the meeting's outcomes. On the ground, a drone attack caused a fire at the Russian port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea. In Yemen, hundreds in Sanaa mourned 44 people, mostly children and women, killed in airstrikes the Houthis attributed to Saudi Arabia. In Iran, naval forces said a fire broke out on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran often targets ships attempting to cross the waterway without its permission.