Ukraine and Russia have conducted a rare exchange of prisoners of war and civilians following two days of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
A total of 157 Ukrainians - seven of them civilians - and 157 Russian soldiers were returned home in the first such swap in four months.
Russian, Ukrainian, and US teams participated in the discussions, with territorial concessions and security guarantees being the main sticking points.
No breakthroughs were reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the talks were difficult and called for faster results.
In a social media post, Zelensky noted that the prisoner exchange followed a long pause from the previous exchange that took place in October. We are returning our people home - 157 Ukrainians, including soldiers from various branches of the military and civilians. Many have been in captivity since 2012, he said.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that 139 of the exchanged individuals had been held since 2022. Meanwhile, Russia confirmed the return of 157 of its prisoners, including three civilians claimed to have been illegally held by Ukraine.
The talks, led by US officials, aim to resolve ongoing disputes and end the conflict that has persisted since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite the exchange highlighting a moment of cooperation, significant challenges remain regarding territorial claims and security guarantees for Ukraine.
The trilateral discussions, seen as part of US President Donald Trump's efforts, indicated that major issues surrounding territory are yet to be settled. This marked the second round of negotiations in recent weeks, coinciding with renewed military actions from Russia targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
