US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has officially confirmed the achievement of an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Negotiations for this agreement took place in Abu Dhabi with the participation of delegations from the US, Ukraine, and Russia. This will be the first prisoner exchange between the parties in the last five months.
This is reported by Kyiv24
New Details on the Exchange and Diplomatic Negotiations
Steve Witkoff reported on social media platform X that as a result of the negotiations, 314 individuals from both sides are expected to be released. He emphasized that this outcome was achieved through deep and effective peace negotiations, which continue in a trilateral format.
“This result was achieved through detailed and productive peace negotiations. While there is still much work to be done, such steps demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement yields tangible results and advances efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Discussions will continue, and additional progress is expected in the coming weeks,” wrote the American negotiator.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also stated that Ukraine and Russia are preparing to conduct a prisoner exchange soon. This confirms the activation of the negotiation process between the parties.
Negotiations on a Peace Agreement Continue
Trilateral negotiations regarding the terms of a future peace agreement in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war have been ongoing for the second consecutive day in Abu Dhabi. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at the end of the first day that the list of unresolved issues between Ukraine and Russia has been reduced in the process of reaching agreements, although the most challenging aspects remain to be reconciled.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov characterized the trilateral negotiations as substantive and productive, indicating real progress towards achieving peace.