President Zelenskyy has announced that a total of 3,135 Ukrainians have been freed from Russian captivity and expressed hope for continued exchanges. The exchange of 100 prisoners of war each between Russia and Ukraine was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling it a “success”. This marks the third mediation effort by the UAE between Moscow and Kyiv since December, emphasizing the need for dialogue and de-escalation. Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will make every effort to continue prisoner exchanges, with the Russian Ministry of Defence acknowledging the UAE’s role in the “humanitarian mediation”. Despite the length of the process, Ukrainian officials have urged patience and emphasized the importance of the results. The exchange follows previous swaps between the two countries, with the biggest exchange occurring on January 3, where a total of 478 captives were traded following UAE mediation. This comes amidst ongoing tensions and the absence of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, with Putin warning of the impossibility of defeating Russia in Ukraine and denying territorial ambitions across Europe.