Ukraine and Russia swapped 314 prisoners of war — 157 from each side — on Thursday following two days of negotiation in Abu Dhabi under the US mediation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange one hour after the talks finished.
He said the 157 Ukrainians returned home on Thursday include soldiers from the Armed Forces, National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.
Notably, Ukrainian civilians were also released together with the soldiers. According to Zelenskyy, “Most of them had been in captivity since 2022″
“Today’s exchange came after a long pause, and it is critical that we were able to make it happen,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“I thank everyone who works to make these exchanges possible, as well as everyone on the frontline who contributes to 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,” he concluded.
The last exchange with Moscow was held on 2 October. However, since then Kyiv said that Russia halted the process, with Ukraine’s president stating Moscow did so because it “does not feel that it gives them anything.”
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also confirmed on Thursday the swap of “314 prisoners” between Kyiv and Moscow.
“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive,” Witkoff said.
“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.”
“Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks.”
The Kremlin’s key negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told Russian outlets that “there has been progress and positive movement forward in the negotiation process on a peace agreement with Ukraine”, and once again blamed the European counties for what he claimed is ‘obstructing” the process.
Russia’s demands in Abu Dhabi
The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said following the meetings that the “door to a peaceful settlement remains open,” but Russia will continue the war until Ukraine adopts the “relevant decisions” — without specifying what those might entail.
Despite ongoing talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not publicly indicated that he has shifted his position from Moscow’s existing maximalist demands.
On Thursday, Kremlin-affiliated media outlets also revealed more details about Moscow’s territorial demands.
Russia reportedly not only wants to have full control of Ukraine’s regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, but it also now wants all sides to recognise it as Russian territory.
Moscow previously said it wanted Ukraine to withdraw also from southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, including the territories Russia never occupied or controlled.
It is unclear at this time whether Moscow has scaled back its demands and now insists only on the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Zelenskyy: Ukrainians ‘perfectly aware of the price’
Meanwhile in an interview with France TV, Zelenskyy said Russia would continue to sustain staggering losses if it attempted to conquer all of eastern Ukraine by force of arms.
“We, the Ukrainians, are perfectly aware of the price that every metre and every kilometre of this land costs the Russian army,” Zelensky said in the interview.
“They don’t count the people who die. We are forced to. To conquer eastern Ukraine, it would cost them 800,000 more corpses, the corpses of their soldiers. It will take them at least two years, with very slow progress. In my opinion, they won’t last that long.”
The US-based Institute for the Study of War think tank (ISW) estimates that after more than ten years of constant assaults, Russia will not be able to occupy the remaining areas of Donetsk region for another year and a half.
“Assuming that Russian forces can maintain this faster rate of advance consistently, Ukrainian defences remain strong, and Western support for Ukraine remains consistent, Russian forces could seize the remaining 22% of the Ukrainian-held Donetsk region by August 2027,” the ISW said.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) stated that Russia’s intensified pace of war effort in eastern Ukraine cost Moscow troops “extraordinary” human losses.
According to the CSIS, Moscow’s forces have suffered nearly 1.2 million casualties since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This number is roughly equal to the population of Brussels.