Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners as peace talks end without breakthrough

2 hours agoJaroslav LukivTelegram / Zelensky / OfficialMany of exchanged Ukrainians had been held in captivity since 2022, Kyiv saidUkraine 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".EPA/ShutterstockThe exchanged Russian soldiers were currently staying in Belarus, the Russian defence ministry saidRussia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.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. Ukrainians officials said 139 had been in Russian captivity since 2022.Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said 157 of its POWs were returned by Kyiv.The ministry added 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 - the second round in recent weeks - are part of US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have been leading the negotiations. The talks had been "detailed and productive", Witkoff wrote on X, but added that "significant work remains".The most difficult issue is territory, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cedes the rest of the eastern industrial region of Donbas that Moscow does not currently control.Another key sticking point is believed to be Kyiv's demand to get robust security guarantees from its European allies and the US. No details have been released. The trilateral talks began as Russia renewed its deadly attacks on Ukraine after a week-long pause that Trump had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine.