Steve Witkoff..Ukraine and Russia have agreed to implement a new prisoner exchange operation.

 Steve Witkoff 

                                                                    

Trump's envoy thanks the UAE and announces an agreement to exchange 314 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine

US envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Thursday that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a new prisoner exchange, the first in five months. This came during trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi, which Witkoff described as "productive."

Witkoff wrote on the social media platform X, "The delegations of the United States, Ukraine, and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners... the first such exchange in five months."

He added, "This outcome was achieved thanks to in-depth and productive peace negotiations." Although much work remains to be done, progress like this demonstrates that sustained diplomatic engagement leads to tangible results and contributes to efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Discussions will continue, with further progress expected in the coming weeks.

Witkoff added, "We thank the United Arab Emirates for hosting these talks and President Donald Trump for his leadership, which contributed to this agreement."

Praise for Abu Dhabi Talks

The talks held in Abu Dhabi a week ago marked the first publicly announced direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv regarding the US plan to end the war. Last week, the Kremlin praised the Abu Dhabi talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, describing them as having a "constructive spirit."

Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, also praised the Ukraine talks hosted by the UAE. In a tweet on his official X account, Witkoff said the talks "were very constructive, and it was agreed to continue discussions next week in Abu Dhabi."

During During his meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Moscow last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to the UAE for hosting the trilateral talks on Ukraine.

He also thanked the UAE President for his country's continued mediation efforts, which resulted in the successful prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.