Day 2 of trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, US begins in Abu Dhabi

ISTANBUL

Day 2 of a second round of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US to end the Moscow-Kyiv war began in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

“We are working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, working groups, and further coordination of positions,” Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said on US social media platform Facebook.

A second round of consultations began in the Emirati capital on Wednesday among delegations from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington to reach a settlement to the ongoing armed conflict, which will enter its fifth year later this month.

Following the first day of talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an evening video address that Kyiv expects a prisoner swap to take place between Moscow and Kyiv “in the near future.”

“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 after receiving a report by Ukraine’s delegation on the first day of talks, without providing further details.

Neither Russian nor US authorities have commented on such an exchange, which has not taken place between Moscow and Kyiv since October last year.

Separately, the Russian presidential envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, who also arrived in Abu Dhabi for the negotiations, told reporters on Thursday that there is “progress” toward a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

In remarks to Russian journalists, Dmitriev argued that there are attempts from Europe and the UK to hinder and interfere in the ongoing peace process, adding: “And the more such attempts occur, the more we see that there is certainly progress, and good, positive movement forward."

He added that the Russian side is also actively working with the administration of US President Donald Trump to restore economic relations between Moscow and Washington.

Russia, Ukraine, and the US held an initial two days of consultations on Jan. 23-24, also in Abu Dhabi.