- Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a major prisoner exchange following US-brokered negotiations in Abu Dhabi, marking the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow in nine months.
- Russian Lieutenant-General Alexander Zorin reported that the planned swap is expected to involve more than 1,000 prisoners from each side and could take place within the next two to three weeks.
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky characterised the second day of talks as constructive and substantive, while dismissing claims by Vladimir Putin regarding Russian territorial control in the Donbas region as unreal.
- The diplomatic negotiations had previously been derailed after Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched an offensive against Iran earlier this year, shifting US diplomatic focus.
- The breakthrough comes amid grave concerns from the United Nations, which estimates around 16,000 Ukrainians are held in Russian captivity, with reports highlighting widespread torture and at least 438 deaths in detention.
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