Kyiv Signals Imminent POW Exchange

(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv anticipates a prisoner exchange with Moscow “in the near future,” while Ukraine, Russia, and the United States conduct negotiations in Abu Dhabi aimed at resolving the conflict that has lasted nearly four years.

In a late-Wednesday evening video message, Zelenskyy explained that he had been briefed by Ukraine’s delegation regarding the trilateral discussions held earlier in the day in the United Arab Emirates.

He added that parallel consultations also took place between Ukrainian and American representatives.

“We discussed the interim results of the negotiations for today. They will continue tomorrow (Thursday). There will also be a significant step: we expect a POW (prisoners of war) exchange in the near future. Captives must be brought home,” he said, offering no additional specifics.

The most recent prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine occurred on Oct. 2, 2025. That exchange was part of agreements forged in Istanbul, the Turkish city that hosted three rounds of direct peace negotiations earlier that same year.

Zelenskyy’s remarks coincided with the launch of the second phase of trilateral meetings in the Emirati capital on Wednesday, with discussions set to carry over into Thursday.

Previously, an initial round of talks was convened on Jan. 23–24 in Abu Dhabi, bringing together delegations from Ukraine and Russia, with participation from the United States.

Following those early sessions, both Kyiv and Washington characterized the dialogue as “constructive," while Moscow noted that interactions had started in a constructive fashion, acknowledging that "significant work ahead."

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