Arya News - U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff calls Ukraine and Russia`s exchange of 314 prisoners
Kyiv - U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced Thursday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to exchange 314 prisoners during the second round of U.S.-mediated peace talks between the two countries in Abu Dhabi.
Two hours later, Russia"s defense ministry released a video of freed prisoners of war draped in Russian flags boarding a bus in Belarus, a Russian ally that borders Ukraine and Russia, confirming the exchanges of 157 prisoners from each country.
Witkoff said the two days of trilateral negotiations in the United Arab Emirates capital were "detailed and productive," adding that "while significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv, meanwhile, that the trilateral talks would continue "in the near future."
Freed Ukrainian prisoners of war pose for a picture as they arrive in Ukrainian territory after a swap, amid Russia"s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Feb. 5, 2026. / Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout)
In a social media post, he said the exchange "came after a long pause, and it is critical that we were able to make it happen," adding his thanks to "everyone who works to make these exchanges possible," including Ukrainian soldiers, whom he appeared to laud for capturing Russians and thus, "expanding Ukraine"s exchange fund."
"Without the determination of our warriors, such exchanges would be impossible. And thus every result achieved by our units is what also sustains the ability to bring Ukrainians home from Russia," Zelenskyy said , adding that Ukraine would "continue to work to release our people from captivity."
The prisoner swap suggests the trilateral talks, the first round of which took place at the end of January, are making slow progress on specific areas where Russia and Ukraine can find common ground - while leaving the most contentious issues for future discussions.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi told reporters as the talks began that, "the most sensitive and complex issues, such as territorial issues," will be left for the countries" heads of state to discuss.
The last prisoner exchange occurred on Oct. 2, 2025, and progress on further exchanges appeared to stall late last year, with Zelenskyy telling reporters in Kyiv at the end of January that Russia had "halted the process" of prisoner swaps.
"They are not particularly interested in exchanging people, because they do not feel that it gives them anything. They believe it benefits us," he said at the time.
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