US, Ukraine, Russia agree to swap 314 war prisoners — Witkoff

On February 5, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia reached an agreement on the exchange of 314 prisoners of war, marking the first such swap in the past five months.

The U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff shared the development on social network X, commenting on the progress of peace talks on his X account, Caliber.Az reports.

"This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine," Witkoff notes.

The special envoy said discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks. 

"We thank the United Arab Emirates for hosting these discussions, and President Donald J. Trump for his leadership in making this agreement possible," he added.

For the record, recent peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi form part of a broader Emirati-hosted diplomatic process aimed at advancing negotiations on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. These trilateral meetings, held in late January and early February 2026 in the UAE capital at the invitation of Kyiv, brought together senior representatives from all three countries to discuss possible frameworks for a ceasefire and confidence-building measures alongside humanitarian issues. 

The UAE’s involvement in the conflict has not been limited to hosting political talks: Abu Dhabi has acted as a mediator in multiple Russia–Ukraine prisoner exchanges over the course of the war. State announcements and media reports show that Emirati diplomatic efforts have facilitated a series of POW swaps, involving thousands of captives returned to their home countries since 2022.

By Khagan Isayev