On February 5, Russia and Ukraine concluded the second round of negotiations mediated by the US in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), aimed at ending Europe's largest conflict since World War II. The two sides agreed to conduct a large-scale prisoner exchange and soon resume negotiations.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy - Mr. Steve Witkoff - said that the US, Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed to exchange 314 prisoners of war, this activity was carried out immediately after the second round of negotiations ended. This is the first such exchange in 5 months.
A video released by the Ukrainian Presidential Office shows dozens of Ukrainian prisoners - many wearing national flags - getting off the bus in the snow; some hugging each other, others bursting into tears when calling their loved ones.
This result is also considered the only specific step towards peace ever achieved in previous rounds of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey.
Writing on social network X, Mr. Witkoff commented: "The discussions are constructive and focused on how to create conditions for sustainable peace.
According to him, these negotiations "show that maintaining diplomatic engagement is bringing concrete results and promoting efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
In a regular speech on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that some newly released prisoners of war have been detained for nearly 4 years, and revealed that the next round of negotiations will take place soon, likely in the US.
Mr. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine supports any diplomatic framework that "can truly bring peace closer and make peace credible and lasting", but noted that the agreement must include solid security assurances, including contributions from Washington to Kiev.
Meanwhile, Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said that there has been progress and positive movements. He also said that Russia is promoting the restoration of relations with the US, including within the framework of a US-Russia economic working group.
