Overview
- Ukrainian and Russian delegations completed a second U.S.-mediated round in Abu Dhabi that participants described as productive, with further sessions planned.
- Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 157 detainees each, the first large swap in months, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Defence Ministry.
- Washington and Moscow will restart high-level contacts between their militaries, a step EUCOM said is intended to increase transparency and reduce the risk of miscalculation.
- The New START treaty expired on February 5, with Russia saying it no longer considers itself bound by its limits as the UN warned of rising nuclear risks and the White House said President Trump seeks a broader successor agreement that includes China.
- No political breakthrough was reported, with Russia pressing for a Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbas and Ukraine rejecting that demand as strikes and power outages continued to affect civilians.