Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange prisoners as the warring parties pressed ahead with “detailed and productive” negotiations to end the four-year conflict, according to President Donald Trump’s special envoy.

The two sides agreed to swap 314 prisoners in the first such exchange in five months, Steve Witkoff said in a post on platform X on Thursday. Ukrainian authorities confirmed the exchange had taken place. Witkoff cited progress in three-way discussions in Abu Dhabi, with results expected “in the coming weeks.”

“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive,” said Witkoff, who was joined in the United Arab Emirates by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week called the negotiating round a test of the Kremlin’s commitment to the process after Russian forces unleashed the biggest missile-and-drone attack on Kyiv this year, plunging the capital into darkness. The Ukrainian leader, who said further prisoner exchanges will be discussed, said Thursday that additional talks are expected in the “near future.”

The assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left large swathes of the country without heating, power and water as temperatures fell to -25C (-13F) this week.

The head of Ukraine’s delegation, national security chief Rustem Umerov, called the talks in Abu Dhabi “meaningful and productive” late Wednesday. Discussions on Thursday have ended, according to an Umerov aide.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday said the discussions had not yet yielded a conclusion.

Negotiations zeroed in on the issue that’s proved the most implacable in the talks: territory. Russia has insisted on seizing control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, including parts that its forces have failed to take since fighting there began in 2014.

A year since he returned to the White House, Trump’s efforts to end the conflict have proved fruitless. After pledging to end it swiftly on the campaign trail, his efforts have included hosting Russia’s Vladimir Putin for a summit in Alaska and oscillating between placing the blame for the deadlock on Moscow or Kyiv.

The first round of talks in the Persian Gulf emirate last month addressed issues including how to monitor a ceasefire once one is reached. But more difficult topics — above all the territorial claims — remained unresolved. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected the option of ceding land.

The sides have been discussing a 20-point plan and security guarantees for Ukraine, aimed at bringing an end to the gravest European conflict since World War II.

“Overall, Ukraine’s position is very clear: the war must be ended for real. Russia must be ready for this,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address to the nation Wednesday. “Partners must also be ready to ensure it in real terms with their real guarantees – security guarantees – and their real pressure on the aggressor.”

European leaders, who have been watching the diplomatic activity from the sidelines, have sought to maintain support in the absence of direct U.S. military backing. This week European Union member states agreed on a framework for how to provide Kyiv with a €90 billion ($106 billion) loan.

On a trip to Kyiv Thursday, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna got a firsthand look at the damage caused by Russian attacks — and warned against forcing Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

“Russia is continuing this devastating aggression not because of a lack of dialog, but because it still believes it is on the path to success,” Tsahkna said. “Therefore, the pressure being exerted on the Ukrainians here in Kyiv to make concessions feels like a betrayal.”

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—With assistance from Maxim Edwards and Ott Tammik.

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