FLASH NEWS
Another hostage exchange between Russia and Ukraine takes place after two days of peace talks
2026-02-05 23:29:31 / BOTA
Ukraine and Russia have carried out a rare exchange of prisoners of war and civilians after two days of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
A total of 157 Ukrainians, seven of them civilians, and 157 Russian soldiers returned home in the first such exchange in four months.
Russian, Ukrainian and American teams took part in the talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where the main sticking points are believed to be territorial concessions that Ukraine is under pressure to make, as well as security guarantees to prevent further Russian attacks if a deal is reached to end the four-year war.
No major progress has been reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the talks had not been easy and that he wanted "quicker results."
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a social media post, Zelensky wrote that Thursday's prisoner exchange "took place after a long pause" - referring to the previous such exchange last October.
"We are bringing our people home - 157 Ukrainians. Soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Service.
"And civilians are also returning with the defenders. Most have been in captivity since 2012," the Ukrainian president said, vowing to return every Ukrainian still in Russian captivity.
Ukrainian officials said 139 people had been in Russian captivity since 2022. Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry said 157 of its prisoners of war were returned from Kiev.
The ministry added that three “illegally detained” Russian civilians were also handed over. They were residents of the western Kursk region, parts of which were occupied by Ukraine during its invasion in 2024-25.
The talks in Abu Dhabi - the second round in recent weeks - are part of US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been leading the negotiations. The talks had been "detailed and productive," Witkoff wrote in X, but added that "important work remains to be done."
The most difficult issue is territory, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the rest of the eastern industrial region of Donbas, which Moscow does not currently control. Another key sticking point is believed to be Kiev's demand for strong security guarantees from its European allies and the United States.
No details were released. The three-way talks began as Russia renewed its deadly attacks on Ukraine after a week-long pause that Trump had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe, as a bitter cold gripped Ukraine./CNN
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