Abu Dhabi peace talks see progress

ABU DHABI — Russia, Ukraine, and the United States concluded the second day of talks on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, to end the four-year conflict, after a first day described as productive and positive by both Kyiv and Moscow.

US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners.

Witkoff said on social media platform X that the outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been "detailed and productive", emphasizing that "significant work" remains.

He added that discussions will continue with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks.

Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, said on Thursday that there was progress on the first day of talks.

Dmitriev said that active work was underway to restore Russia's relations with the United States, including within the framework of a US-Russia working group on the economy.

"There is positive movement forward," he said.

Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's top negotiator, said after Wednesday's meetings that the discussions were positive.

"The work was substantive and productive, focused on concrete steps and practical solutions," Umerov, also the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, wrote on X.

Announcing the start of the second day of talks, Umerov said the officials would work in the same formats as on their first day: trilateral consultations, group discussions, and joint coordination of positions.

Photographs released by the UAE's foreign ministry showed the three delegations sitting around a U-shaped table.

They were also in the same place at last month's talks. No major breakthrough was delivered at that time.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Washington on Wednesday, "I don't want to say talks alone is progress, but it's good that there's engagement going on."

"The good news is that for the first time in a very long time, we have technical military teams from both Ukraine and Russia meeting in a forum that we'll also be involved in with our experts," he said.

Military included

Ukrainian officials have said that this round of talks was different from previous attempts, as the Russian delegation also included military teams.

The main sticking point in the negotiations is the territory issue. Moscow is demanding that Kyiv pull its troops out of swaths of the Donbas before any deal.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters that fighting would persist "until the Kyiv regime makes the appropriate decisions".

Kyiv has said the conflict should be frozen along the current front line and has rejected a pullback of forces.

The two-day trilateral meetings come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had exploited a US-backed energy truce last week to stockpile munitions, attacking Ukraine with a record number of ballistic missiles on Tuesday.

Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address on Wednesday, said it was critical for the talks to lead to real peace. Ukraine's partners, he said, had to "exert more pressure" on Moscow.

Trump could use economic sanctions against Russia or transfer weapons to Ukraine to "maintain this pressure on Putin", Zelensky said, but added that Kyiv would not compromise on sovereignty.

Polls show that the majority of Ukrainians oppose a deal that would hand Moscow more territory. Kyiv residents told Reuters they were skeptical that new talks would bring a major breakthrough.

"Let's hope that it will change (something), of course. But I don't believe it will change anything now," said Serhii, 38, a taxi driver.

Agencies Via Xinhua