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Russia and Ukraine have mutually agreed on the release of hundreds of prisoners of war (PoWs) between March 5 and 6, Moscow confirmed on Thursday.
The exchange followed a humanitarian mediation undertaken by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. It is unclear how long the prisoners had been incarcerated.
The Russian Foreign Ministry disclosed that “a complex negotiation process” resulted in the freedom of 200 Russian POWs from Kyiv-controlled territories on March 5.
“All those released are receiving the necessary medical and psychological assistance,” a statement reads. “A 300 for 300 exchange is scheduled for March 6.”
President Vladimir Putin this week handed two Hungarian-Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary during Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s visit to Moscow.
“They were forcibly conscripted to the front,” Putin said. “We decided to allow them (Budapest) to take two people with them on the plane the minister arrived on.”
Both men fought in the Ukrainian army and had been held in Russian captivity. On Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán urged Putin to release the nationals during a phone call.
On Thursday, Russia hosted the 11th ambassadors’ roundtable attended by 105 heads of diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations.
The meeting, which discussed issues related to global developments and the Ukrainian conflict, focused on the digital dimension of the crisis and its impact on international information security.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said “a large-scale malicious campaign” was being conducted by the Ukrainian authorities against Russia and its citizens, with the support of “their Western sponsors.”
Lavrov cited instances of Kyiv’s “criminal activities” in the information space, and outlined Russia’s response based on “a fair system of international information security” in line with the UN Charter principles.
Ukraine and Russia agreed on Saturday to hold a second round of US-brokered direct peace talks next weekend after a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi, despite Ukrainian complaints negotiations were undermined by a barrage of deadly strikes.
The trilateral talks in the UAE will resume on February 1, a US official said, adding: “I think getting everyone together was a big step.
“I think it’s a confirmation of the fact that, number one, a lot of progress has been made to date in really defining the details needed to get to a conclusion.”
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are last known to have met face-to-face in Istanbul last summer, in talks that ended only in deals to exchange captured soldiers.
This week was the first time they have faced each other to talk about a plan being pushed by US President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “a lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive”.
On the eve of day two, Russian drones and missiles cut off millions from electricity in sub-zero temperatures. Kyiv accused Moscow of undermining the negotiations by launching yet another “night of Russian terror”.
AFP journalists saw people running through the streets to find shelter as explosions lit up the night sky over the capital Kyiv.
After another sleepless night, weary Kyiv residents had little hope for a breakthrough in the nearly four-year war.
“They’ll just say that everything is fine, that again, nothing has been agreed, and again there will be rockets,” said Anastasia Tolkachov, who had to spend a night in a car park.
A United Arab Emirates government spokesperson said the meetings, which involved top military officers from both sides, were held in a “constructive and positive atmosphere”.
The talks focused on “outstanding elements of the US-proposed peace framework as well as confidence-building measures”, the spokesperson said.
According to Zelensky, “the central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war”.
Both warring sides say the fate of territory in the eastern Donbas region is the main unresolved issue in the search for a settlement.
Over a million people in Kyiv and Chernigiv were left without electricity in sub-zero temperatures due to Russian strikes. About half of Kyiv’s apartment blocks were cut off from heating, Ukrainian authorities said.
