Ukraine and Russia swapped over 300 prisoners following “productive” talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (February 5, 2026), as a U.S. mediator conceded that “vital” work lay forward within the quest for a broader deal to finish the warfare.
The negotiations are the most recent bid in diplomatic efforts to halt the combating — Europe’s deadliest battle since World Warfare II, with lots of of hundreds killed, hundreds of thousands compelled to flee their properties and far of jap and southern Ukraine left decimated.
As talks have been underway, massive swathes of the Ukrainian capital have been nonetheless with out heating in sub-zero temperatures, after successive Russian strikes knocked out power provides to lots of of condominium blocks in Kyiv.
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“Right now, delegations from america, Ukraine, and Russia agreed to alternate 314 prisoners — the primary such alternate in 5 months,” U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff stated on social media through the second day of talks in Abu Dhabi.
Russia’s Defence Ministry later confirmed the 2 sides modified 157 prisoners every.
Whereas Mr. Witkoff described the negotiations as “detailed and productive,” he dimmed hopes for a breakthrough, saying “vital work stays.”
On Wednesday (February 4), Kyiv had described the primary day of negotiations as “substantive and productive”.
Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev additionally stated talks have been going effectively. “There’s undoubtedly progress, issues are transferring ahead in a superb, constructive route,” he stated.
However there was no replace from any facet on the contentious difficulty of territory, or any signal of concession from Moscow, which entered the talks refusing to compromise on its key calls for.
The Russian Envoy additionally slammed what he referred to as makes an attempt from European nations to “disrupt the progress,” with out elaborating.
In a uncommon official admission of battlefield losses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Wednesday (February 4) that at the very least 55,000 of his nation’s troops had been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022 — a determine decrease than many impartial estimates.
Russia has not disclosed what number of of its troopers have been killed. Monitoring of obituaries and household bulletins by the BBC and impartial Mediazona outlet has discovered the names of greater than 160,000 Russian troopers killed within the battle.
‘Concrete steps’
Forward of the two-day talks, Russia launched its newest huge assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving many individuals with out energy and shivering by way of temperatures as little as -20C.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov stated Wednesday (February 4) that “concrete steps and sensible options” had been mentioned within the first day of the talks.
However Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised reporters combating would persist “till the Kyiv regime makes the suitable selections”.
The primary sticking level within the negotiations is the long-term destiny of territory in jap Ukraine.
Moscow is demanding that Kyiv pull its troops out of swathes of the Donbas, together with closely fortified cities atop huge pure assets, earlier than any deal.
It additionally desires worldwide recognition that land seized within the invasion belongs to Russia.
‘Preserve strain’
Kyiv has stated the battle ought to be frozen alongside the present entrance line and has rejected a pull-back of forces.
The talks in Abu Dhabi are the second spherical of trilateral negotiations between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing either side to barter an finish to the warfare since he returned to workplace, boasting he might strike a deal in hours.
Mr. Zelenskyy stated the U.S. President’s position was essential, telling French tv in an interview broadcast on Wednesday (February 5, 2026) that “Putin is just frightened of Trump”.
Mr. Trump might use financial sanctions towards Russia or switch weapons to Ukraine to “keep this strain on Putin”, Mr. Zelenskyy stated, including that Kyiv wouldn’t compromise on sovereignty.
Russia occupies round 20% of Ukraine. It claims the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas as its personal, and holds pockets of territory in at the very least three different Ukrainian areas within the east.
Kyiv nonetheless controls round one-fifth of the Donetsk area that Moscow calls for it withdraws from. Ukraine has warned that ceding floor will embolden Moscow, and that it’s going to not signal a deal that fails to discourage Russia from invading once more.
Revealed – February 05, 2026 06:15 pm IST