Prisoner Exchange Amidst Stalled Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks

Sat Feb 07 2026 00:35:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Ukraine and Russia conducted a significant prisoner exchange amid ongoing peace talks that ended without progress.

In a rare development, Ukraine and Russia exchanged 157 persons, including 150 soldiers and 7 civilians, after two days of US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Despite the exchange, no breakthroughs were made concerning territorial concessions or security guarantees. Ukraine's President Zelensky expressed a desire for quicker resolutions as the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to affect countless lives.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted 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 were returned home in the first such swap in four months.

Russian, Ukrainian, and US teams took part in the talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, with the main sticking points believed to be territorial concessions Ukraine is under pressure to make and security guarantees for it to prevent further Russian attacks if a deal is agreed to end the four-year war.

No breakthrough has been reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the talks had not been easy and he wanted faster results.

In a post on social media, Zelensky wrote that Thursday's prisoner exchange took place after a long pause - referring to the previous such swap last October.

We are returning our people home - 157 Ukrainians. Soldiers of the Armed Forces, National Guard, State Border Service.

And civilians are also returning with the defenders. Most have been in captivity since 2022. Ukrainians officials said 139 had been in Russian captivity since 2022.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said 157 of its POWs were returned by Kyiv. The ministry added that three Russian civilians illegally held were also handed back. They were residents of the western Kursk region, parts of which were occupied by Ukraine during its incursion in 2024-25.

The talks in Abu Dhabi - the second round in recent weeks - are part of US efforts to end the war. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have been leading the negotiations. Despite the detailed and productive nature of the discussions, significant work remains.

Moscow's demands for territorial concessions posed a significant challenge, with Ukraine pressed to cede portions of the eastern Donbas region. Another key sticking point involves Kyiv's call for robust security guarantees from its European allies and the US.

The trilateral negotiations began as Russia renewed its aggressive attacks on Ukraine, targeting the energy sector and leaving thousands without essential services during freezing temperatures.