Ukraine, US see positive progress in Abu Dhabi peace talks with Russia

US and Ukrainian representatives described the February 4–5 trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi with Russia as constructive, saying the discussions focused on creating conditions for a lasting settlement to the war in Ukraine.

In a post on X, the US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the talks centred on creating the conditions for a durable peace and resulted in an agreement for Russia and Ukraine to each release 157 prisoners of war, Caliber.Az reports.

"This is the first exchange in the last five months," he wrote.

Readout of Trilateral Peace Talks Hosted by the United Arab Emirates

Over February 4 and 5, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation met for the second trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The discussions…

— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) February 5, 2026

Witkoff also noted that the United States and Russia agreed to re-establish a military-to-military communication channel, led by US European Command Commander General Alexus Grynkewich.

"This channel of communication was suspended prior to the onset of this conflict and is crucial to achieving and maintaining peace," the special envoy added.

Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Secretary and head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov also confirmed that the consultations were constructive. 

“Over February 4–5, delegations from the United States, Ukraine and the Russian Federation held the second round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” Umerov said, adding that the discussions focused on ways to create conditions for a lasting peace. 

He noted that the delegations reached an agreement on a prisoner-of-war exchange between Russia and Ukraine — the first such exchange in the past five months. 

“Over the two days, the delegations held broad discussions on other unresolved issues, in particular methods for implementing a ceasefire and monitoring the cessation of hostilities. The sides agreed to inform their heads of state about the outcomes of the talks and to continue trilateral meetings in the coming weeks,” Umerov concluded.

By Jeyhun Aghazada