US-Russia military contacts resume in Abu Dhabi after five-year gap

Dubai: Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner exchange mediated in Abu Dhabi, while the United States and Russia held direct military-to-military talks in the UAE capital for the first time in five years — twin developments underscoring Abu Dhabi’s growing role as a hub for high-level diplomacy.

The prisoner swap saw detainees from both Moscow and Kyiv return home following negotiations facilitated by the UAE, in what officials described as a rare humanitarian breakthrough amid the ongoing war.

During three-way talks in Abu Dhabi, the sides exchanged 157 captured soldiers and civilians each, marking the first such exchange since October.

“Today’s exchange came after a long pause, and it is critical that we were able to make it happen,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a social media post, thanking those involved in making the deal possible.

US envoy Steve Witkoff later confirmed the scale of the swap, saying: “Today, delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners — the first such exchange in five months.”

“There is definitely progress. Things are moving forward in a good, positive direction,” Witkoff added.

Shortly after the exchange, senior US and Russian military officials met face to face to discuss risk reduction, communication channels and ways to avoid unintended escalation between the two nuclear powers — marking their first direct talks since 2021.

The meeting came just hours after the expiration of the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms control pact, the New START Treaty.

Officials on both sides said the discussions focused on restoring basic lines of contact between defence establishments at a time of heightened global tensions.

The talks were described as “constructive” and “professional,” underscoring the importance of dialogue despite strained political relations.

The back-to-back developments have reinforced Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a trusted neutral venue for sensitive negotiations between rival powers.

The resumption of US-Russia military contacts is seen as particularly significant after a five-year freeze, with experts long warning that the absence of communication channels increases the risk of miscalculation.

Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange is being viewed as a rare confidence-building step in a conflict that has seen limited diplomatic progress.

Despite the positive momentum, officials stressed that major breakthroughs remain unlikely in the near term.

Still, the willingness of opposing sides to engage — and to do so in Abu Dhabi — offers a glimpse of diplomacy continuing to function in an increasingly polarised world.