Ukraine, Russia, U.S. agree on 314-prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States delegations at Abu Dhabi talks (Photo: UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via REUTERS)
Ukrainian, Russian, and the U.S. delegations reached an agreement on the exchange of 314 prisoners after talks in Abu Dhabi, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkof wrote on X on Feb. 5.
This marks the first war prisoner exchange in five months.
“This result was achieved through detailed and productive peace talks," Witkoff wrote.
"While much work remains ahead, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement delivers tangible results and advances efforts to end the war in Ukraine.”
"Discussions on the prisoner exchange process will continue, with additional progress expected in the coming weeks," he added.
Witkoff thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting the trilateral talks and expressed gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump for “his leadership, which made this agreement possible.”
The second day of Ukraine–Russia–U.S. talks in Abu Dhabi took place on Feb. 5, following the launch of the negotiations on Feb. 4. On the first day, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, described the trilateral meetings as “substantive and productive, focused on concrete steps and practical solutions.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Feb. 4 that major issues remain unresolved but stressed that Washington will do everything possible to achieve a “breakthrough.”
On Feb. 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine expects a prisoner exchange with Russia in the near future. According to him, he discussed the interim results of the first day of the Abu Dhabi talks with Ukrainian representatives.
On Feb. 2, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said that the results of another prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia could be announced soon.
“In the near future, you will hear specific results regarding prisoner exchanges. This is ongoing work that has been carried out since 2022,” he said.
In December 2025, President Zelenskyy said that the prisoner exchange process with Russia had effectively stalled due to Moscow’s position. According to him, the sides earlier agreed on a large-scale exchange by the end of the year, but it never took place.
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