(LONDON) — Trilateral talks between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, with Moscow and Kyiv exchanging hundreds of prisoners of war and the U.S. and Russia agreeing to “reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Kyiv expected an exchange of prisoners of war with Russia “in the near future,” following the first round of talks in Abu Dhabi.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, posted to X on Thursday morning with more details of the exchange, which he said would involve 314 prisoners and would be the first such exchange for five months.
“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive,” Witkoff wrote. “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.”
United States European Command later released a statement saying that, following the talks in the UAE, U.S. and Russian negotiators had also agreed “to reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue,” which has been suspended since late 2021.
“Maintaining dialogue between militaries is an important factor in global stability and peace, which can only be achieved through strength, and provides a means for increased transparency and de-escalation,” EUCOM said. “This channel will provide a consistent military-to-military contact as the parties continue to work towards a lasting peace.”
The prisoner of war exchange took place soon after the conclusion of Thursday’s meetings. Zelenskyy posted a video of the returning Ukrainian soldiers. “Today’s exchange came after a long pause, and it is critical that we were able to make it happen,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
Kyrylo Budanov, formerly the head of Ukrainian military intelligence and now serving as the head of Zelenskyy’s presidential office, confirmed in a post to X that 157 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been returned to Ukraine. Of those freed, 139 had been held since 2022, Budanov said.
The Russian troops involved were released into Belarus — which has provided extensive support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. They were expected to travel to medical facilities in Russia for treatment and rehabilitation, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Zelenskyy’s office told ABC News that Thursday’s talks in Abu Dhabi had ended by around 4 p.m. local time — 7 a.m. ET.
The Ukrainian delegation included Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Budanov, and and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of the General Staff.
The Russian team included Kiril Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and Igor Kostyukov, the head of the GRU military intelligence service.
The U.S. delegation was led by presidential peace envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Umerov said in a post to Telegram that Wednesday’s “work was substantive and productive, with a focus on specific steps and practical solutions.”
Dmitriev — who has been a leading figure in Moscow’s direct negotiations with the Trump administration through Witkoff — told reporters after Wednesday’s talks that there “is certainly progress, and good, positive movement forward,” as quoted by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.
Dmitriev also criticized what he said were “warmongers from Europe, from Britain,” who he alleged “are constantly trying to hinder this process.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged patience when speaking with reporters. “For the first time in a very long time we have technical military teams from both Ukraine and Russia meeting in a forum that we’ll also be involved with,” Rubio said in a video posted to the State Department’s X page.
“Progress is probably not going to be known, even via leaks, until we really have a breakthrough. Our goal is to remain committed,” Rubio added.
Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Kyiv is focused on a clear and lasting end to the war. “Russia must be ready for this. And partners must also be ready to ensure it in real terms with their real guarantees — security guarantees — and their real pressure on the aggressor,” he said in an evening address.
“It must be felt now — people in Ukraine must feel that the situation is genuinely moving toward peace, toward an end to the war, and not toward a scenario in which the Russians exploit everything to their advantage and continue their strikes,” he added
“There must be no rewards for the aggressor — if any reward is given to the aggressor, Russia will, over time, break any agreement,” Zelenskyy said.
Both Moscow and Kyiv described the first round of trilateral talks last month as constructive.
Among the key areas of divergence are the fate of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which Russia has partially occupied and from which Moscow is demanding a full Ukrainian military withdrawal.
Also under discussion is control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, which was occupied by Moscow’s forces since March 2022.
So too are post-war Western security guarantees for Ukraine, without which Kyiv says Moscow will be able to launch a new round of aggression in the future.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange long-range missiles and drone attacks overnight into Thursday morning.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched two missiles and 183 drones into the country overnight, of which 156 drones were shot down or suppressed. The missiles and 22 drones impacted across 16 locations, the air force said.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES) reported drone impacts in several districts of Kyiv. City Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two people were injured. The SES also said attacks were recorded in the northeastern border city of Sumy and the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 95 Ukrainian drones overnight.
At least one person was injured in Russia’s southeastern Rostov, local Gov. Yuri Slyusar said in a post to Telegram.
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement that its forces struck targets on Russian-controlled territory including a training site in occupied Zaporizhzhia, a logistics hub in occupied Donetsk and an electronic warfare facility in Russia’s western Bryansk region.
Meanwhile, both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers reported that unauthorized Starlink satellite communications terminals in use by Russian forces had been disrupted or disconnected, following a public appeal by Kyiv to Starlink producer SpaceX and its owner Elon Musk.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Telegram that Kyiv has been working with SpaceX to verify Starlink terminals in use by Ukrainian forces, allowing them to remain operational.
Starlink terminals have been widely used by both sides during the ongoing conflict to enhance battlefield connectivity. Ukrainian officials have also accused Russia of using Starlink’s network to guide attack drones in strikes deep inside Ukraine, including on civilian targets.
ABC News’ Fidel Pavlenko, Kevin Shalvey, Somayeh Malekian and Othon Leyva contributed to this report.
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