US special envoy Witkoff announces US, Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed to prisoner swap

U.S. special presidential envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff announced on Thursday that delegations from the U.S., Ukraine and Russia had agreed to the exchange of hundreds of prisoners.

“Today, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners — the first such exchange in five months,” a Thursday post on X declared. 

“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. 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,” the post continued.

WITKOFF SAYS TALKS WITH RUSSIAN ENVOY WERE ‘PRODUCTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE’ AMID TRUMP ADMIN’S PEACE PUSH

“Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks. We thank the United Arab Emirates for hosting these discussions, and President Donald J. Trump for his leadership in making this agreement possible,” the post noted.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been aiming to try to help broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

TRUMP SPEAKS WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING ON RANGE OF ISSUES INCLUDING RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

The president said in a Wednesday Truth Social post that “the War between Russia/Ukraine” was one of the topics during a phone call he had that day with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a Tuesday post on X that he “would urge President Trump to start a process to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles which would be a game changer militarily.” 

WITKOFF CELEBRATES ‘NEW DAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST’ AFTER FINAL ISRAELI HOSTAGE IS RETURNED FROM GAZA

“In the coming days and weeks, we must apply more pressure to Putin. Any negotiation that is seen as overly rewarding aggression will set in motion catastrophes all over the world. The opposite is equally true. If negotiations result in a free, strong and independent Ukraine — who had to make concessions — then the world will be far more stable,” Graham asserted.