Fourth deal this year: UAE mediation efforts facilitate another Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the success of mediation efforts by the Gulf state regarding another major Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange. It is the fourth such deal in 2024, resulting in the release of 150 prisoners.

The Russian Federation launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In its statement, the Ministry emphasised that the success of the mediation is the outcome of the UAE leveraging its distinct relations between both sides to reach this agreement.

Earlier, the Russian defence ministry announced on Friday an exchange of 45 prisoners with Ukraine. It noted that 75 Russian servicemen have been exchanged for 75 Ukrainian troops, who have already been transferred to Kyiv after mediation by the UAE.

UAE mediation succeeding since beginning of 2024

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, took to X on May 31 to announce the important result, noting: “Throughout all of this time, we have not stopped working for a single day to bring everyone home from Russian captivity.”

“75 more of our people have returned to Ukraine. The Armed Forces, National Guard, border guards, and four civilians. All of them are already on their native land … I am grateful to the team responsible for the exchanges,” he added.

The UAE’s mediation efforts have succeeded since the beginning of 2024 in completing 3 similar prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to a successful exchange of a couple of prisoners between the US and Russia in December 2022.

UAE’s commitment to finding a peaceful solution

In its statement released on Friday, the UAE ministry expressed its appreciation to the governments of Russia and Ukraine for their cooperation and response to UAE mediation to make the exchange process successful.

The ministry also stressed the UAE’s commitment to continuing efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution, emphasising the need to resort to diplomacy, dialogue, de-escalation and mitigating the humanitarian repercussions resulting from the conflict.

Earlier on Friday, the UAE ambassador to Russia met the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow. They discussed bilateral relations and strategies to enhance cooperation in the commercial, economic, cultural and humanitarian sectors.

Deal a “reflection of the strong friendly relations”

In January 2024, Ukraine and Russia exchanged more than 400 prisoners in one of the biggest deals since the outbreak of the conflict. A total of 248 prisoners returned to Russia from the front line in Ukraine and 230 Ukrainian prisoners returned home.

The Russian defence ministry said at the time that mediatory efforts by the UAE made the exchange deal possible. Zelenskyy announced separately that over 200 Ukrainian prisoners had been returned from Russia as part of the deal.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the deal a “reflection of the strong friendly relations” between the UAE and both Russia and Ukraine. It appreciated the governments of Russia and Ukraine for their cooperation.