Russia and Ukraine reached rare agreement in Abu Dhabi, but the war itself rages on

Despite two days of United States-brokered negotiations in the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine and Russia failed to achieve a breakthrough toward ending the war. The talks concluded without progress on the core issues driving the conflict, even as limited areas of agreement emerged. As reported by Al Jazeera, the negotiations marked a rare moment of direct engagement between the warring sides.

While peace remained out of reach, both countries agreed to a large prisoner exchange. Officials confirmed that Russia and Ukraine each handed over 157 prisoners of war offering relief to hundreds of families after months without a similar agreement.

The exchange was the first of its kind since October 2 and included civilians on both sides. Ukrainian officials said those released included seven civilians and 19 people who had been illegally sentenced, 15 of whom were serving life terms. Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that three civilians from the Kursk region were returned to Russia as part of the deal.

A rare agreement emerged as fighting continued unabated

The US mediation team, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff alongside Jared Kushner, said significant work remains to reach a lasting peace. Witkoff said the prisoner swap showed that sustained diplomatic engagement can still produce tangible results, even without broader agreement. Amid all this, there was coverage of a federal judge’s legal decision that has also drawn attention.

Beyond the exchange, the talks resulted in an agreement to re-establish high-level military-to-military dialogue between the United States and Russia. According to the US military’s European Command, the channel, suspended since 2021, will provide consistent contact as negotiations continue.

Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media that discussions were moving in a positive direction and said efforts were underway to restore Russia’s relations with the United States, including economic cooperation. He also accused European nations of attempting to disrupt the process.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a more cautious tone, saying Ukraine would remain constructive despite the difficulty of negotiations. Speaking in Kyiv, he said Ukraine wants faster results but acknowledged that progress would not be easy. Some lawmakers elsewhere are debating broader geopolitical strategy, including discussion of EU-US trade tensions and legislative hurdles that intersects with larger diplomatic friction.

Territorial demands remain the central obstacle. Moscow continues to insist that Kyiv cede control of a fifth of the Donetsk region, a demand Ukraine has rejected. That issue stalled the first round of trilateral talks in late January, and future negotiations are expected to continue in the coming weeks, possibly in the United States.

The urgency of the talks has been underscored by ongoing violence. Zelenskyy said this week that an estimated 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s 2022 invasion, with thousands more missing, a toll he said helped bring both sides back to the negotiating table.

Even as the prisoner exchange was finalised, attacks continued across Ukraine. Overnight Russian drone strikes in Kyiv wounded civilians, damaged residential buildings and infrastructure, and knocked out energy supplies during winter conditions, while shelling in the eastern city of Druzhkivka killed at least seven people at a crowded market.