Russia and Ukraine Conduct Prisoner Exchange Amid Failed Peace Talks

Fri Feb 06 2026 00:35:38 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a significant development, Russia and Ukraine successfully exchanged prisoners following two days of US-mediated peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi. Despite the exchange of 157 individuals from each side, ongoing discussions have not yielded a breakthrough in the conflict.

As a result of two days of US-brokered talks, Russia and Ukraine executed a prisoner exchange involving 157 individuals from each side. Despite this development, peace talks ended without major progress on key issues such as territorial concessions and security guarantees. Ukrainian President Zelensky expressed frustrations over the lack of swift results in negotiations.

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 2012, the Ukrainian president said, pledging to bring back every single Ukrainian still in Russian captivity.

Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry stated 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—part of US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war—are ongoing, but both sides face significant hurdles in reaching an agreement, particularly concerning territory and security assurances.