Russia, Ukraine swap prisoners as talks end without breakthrough

The first large-scale prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine in nearly five months took place on Thursday. This as the second round of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi concluded with no joint political or security statement.

A total of 157 Ukrainians -- including seven civilians -- and 157 Russian soldiers were returned home.

Russia and Ukraine failed to achieve substantive breakthroughs on the main sticking points including territorial arrangements and a ceasefire after two days of trilateral talks in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.

Steve Witkoff, U.S. president Donald Trump's special envoy, acknowledged greater efforts would be needed to advance a comprehensive settlement of the conflict, yet noted representatives from the two warring states reached a consensus on a prisoner exchange.

The UAE's foreign ministry says it demonstrated the country's role as a reliable mediator in easing the crisis and promoting constructive dialogue.

Kyiv said it brought back 150 Ukrainian service members, as well as seven civilians from Russian captivity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media this was carried out after a "long pause," referring to the previous such exchange last October.

Night was falling when the buses carrying dozens of liberated prisoners arrived in a hospital in Chernihiv region.

The reunion turned emotional as the soldiers that fought in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia finally met their loved ones who spent hours waiting.

Olga, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier, said she's very grateful to Ukrainian negotiators for the tremendous amount of work to bring their people home.

Meanwhile, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, the released 157 Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus to receive medical assistance. Three Russian nationals captured during Kyiv's incursion into Kursk region were also released.

Zelenskyy said the next phase of peace talks with delegations of the U.S. and Russia are planned in the near future, likely in the United States.

In a sign of possibly warming relations, Washington and Moscow agreed on Thursday to reestablish high-level military dialogue for the first time in over four years.