Ukraine and Russia agree to prisoner swap in United Arab Emirates

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators agreed on Wednesday to a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war during two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, UPI and PBS NewsHour reported. The trilateral discussions were mediated by the United States and marked the first meeting between the two sides in nine months aimed at ending the war, according to UPI. [1][2][4][8]

The head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustem Umerov, said on social media that negotiators were returning home to finalize the arrangements, UPI reported. Bringing prisoners home remains one of the top priorities for Ukraine, Umerov added, according to the outlet. [1]

France 24 reported that neither side gave a concrete figure for how many prisoners will be exchanged. PBS NewsHour, The Washington Post, and France 24 all noted that the two days of peace talks concluded without any major breakthrough toward ending the overall conflict. [2][3][4]

Following the conclusion of the talks in Abu Dhabi, United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky separately on Thursday, according to France 24. [4]