Ukraine, Russia Exchange Over 300 Prisoners After ‘Productive’ Abu Dhabi Talks

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Ukraine and Russia exchanged more than 300 prisoners on Thursday following what officials described as “productive” negotiations in Abu Dhabi, as a US mediator cautioned that substantial work remains toward securing a broader agreement to end the war.

The talks mark the latest diplomatic effort to curb Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, which has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and left large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine in ruins.

“Today, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners — the first such exchange in five months,” US envoy Steve Witkoff said on social media during the second day of negotiations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry later confirmed that each side had released 157 prisoners.

While Witkoff described the discussions as “detailed and productive,” he tempered expectations of an imminent breakthrough, saying “significant work remains” to reach a wider settlement.

Kyiv had similarly characterized the first day of talks on Wednesday as “substantive and productive,” a view echoed by Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.

“There is definitely progress. Things are moving forward in a good, positive direction,” Dmitriev said.

However, no announcements were made regarding territorial disputes, one of the most contentious issues in the conflict, and there was no indication that Moscow was prepared to soften its core demands. Dmitriev also accused unnamed European countries of attempting to “disrupt the progress” of the talks, without providing further details.

As negotiations continued, large areas of Kyiv remained without heating amid sub-zero temperatures after a series of Russian strikes knocked out their energy infrastructure, leaving hundreds of apartment buildings without power.

In a rare public acknowledgment of battlefield losses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that at least 55,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 — a figure lower than many independent estimates.

Russia has not officially disclosed its military casualties. However, investigations by the BBC and independent outlet Mediazona, based on obituaries and public records, have identified more than 160,000 Russian soldiers killed in the conflict.