Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a post on social media, Zelensky wrote that Thursday’s prisoner exchange “took place after a long pause” – referring to the previous such swap last October.
“We are returning our people home – 157 Ukrainians. Soldiers of the Armed Forces, National Guard, State Border Service.
“And civilians are also returning with the defenders. Most have been in captivity since 2012,” the Ukrainian president said, pledging to bring back every single Ukrainian still in Russian captivity.
Ukrainians officials said 139 had been in Russian captivity since 2022.
Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said 157 of its POWs were returned by Kyiv.
The ministry added that three Russian civilians “illegally held” were also handed back. They were residents of the western Kursk region, parts of which were occupied by Ukraine during its incursion in 2024-25.
The talks in Abu Dhabi – the second round in recent weeks – are part of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have been leading the negotiations.
The talks had been “detailed and productive”, Witkoff wrote on X, but added that “significant work remains”.
The most difficult issue is territory, with Russia demanding that Ukraine cedes the rest of the eastern industrial region of Donbas that Moscow does not currently control.
Another key sticking point is believed to be Kyiv’s demand to get robust security guarantees from its European allies and the US.
No details have been released.
The trilateral talks began as Russia renewed its deadly attacks on Ukraine after a week-long pause that Trump had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine.
Moscow has been targeting the country’s energy sector, leaving thousands of people without electricity, heating and water in freezing temperatures.