Ukraine and Russia swapped over 300 prisoners following "productive" talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (February 5, 2026), as a U.S. mediator conceded that "significant" work lay ahead in the quest for a broader deal to end the war.
Russia demands Ukraine give in as UAE talks open
The negotiations are the latest bid in diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting -- Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed, millions forced to flee their homes and much of eastern and southern Ukraine left decimated.
As talks were underway, large swathes of the Ukrainian capital were still without heating in sub-zero temperatures, after successive Russian strikes knocked out energy supplies to hundreds of apartment blocks in Kyiv.
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