Ukraine 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.
Following the exchange, Zelensky stated that 139 of the returned Ukrainians had been held in Russian captivity since 2022. The Ukrainian president pledged to continue efforts to bring back every Ukrainian still being held.
The prisoner swap took place amid heightened tensions as Russia renewed its violent assaults on Ukraine, notably targeting the energy sector, causing significant hardships for civilians.
As part of the negotiations, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff noted that while the discussions had been productive, significant work remains regarding the ongoing territorial disputes, especially concerning Russia's demands over the eastern industrial region of Donbas.
