Ukraine, Russia end second round of peace talks with agreement on prisoner swap, new meeting
(VOVWORLD) - Ukraine and Russia concluded a second round of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday aimed at ending Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two, with the two sides conducting a major prisoner swap and agreeing to resume negotiations soon.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the delegations from the US, Ukraine, and Russia had agreed to an exchange of 314 prisoners of war, which took place on Thursday. It was the first such swap in five months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the next round of talks would be held soon, likely in the United States.
Witkoff, writing on the X social media platform, said: "The discussions were constructive and focused on how to create the conditions for a durable peace."
The US side said that Russia and the US have agreed to resume military dialogue, a communication channel that had been frozen before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The move is seen as potentially opening a new step toward partially normalizing relations between the two countries.