Zelenskyy announces first prisoner swap with Russia in four months

He said the Ukrainian delegation involved in talks with the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi had briefed him on today’s meeting. Ukrainian officials also held separate contacts with the US side.

"We discussed the interim results of today’s talks. They will continue tomorrow. There will also be an important step: we expect a prisoner-of-war exchange in the near future. We must bring our people home," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, Ukraine’s position is clear: the war must end, and Russia must be ready for that.

"Partners must be prepared to ensure this in practice through real security guarantees and real pressure on the aggressor. It is important that people in Ukraine feel the situation is really moving toward peace and the end of the war, not toward Russia using everything to its advantage and continuing its strikes," he said.

Zelenskyy also warned that Russia must not be rewarded, otherwise it would eventually undermine any agreements.

Prisoner exchanges were on hold

The last prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place in October 2025.

At that time, 185 Ukrainian defenders and 20 civilians were brought home. Most of those released — servicemen of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service — had been held in Russian captivity since 2022. Among them were defenders of Mariupol, Azovstal, and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

As the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said, some of the detainees were returned under the so-called Istanbul agreements.

In January this year, Zelenskyy said new prisoner exchanges with Russia were not taking place because Moscow stalled the process.