Six Successful Mediations: The UAE’s Ongoing Efforts to Resolve the Ukraine Crisis
A successful Emirati mediation for a prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow, the second in less than a month and the fifth this year, crowns a continuous political, diplomatic, and humanitarian movement to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
Mediation Success
This mediation success comes just days after the UAE’s participation in the Swiss Summit on Peace in Ukraine on June 15-16, as part of their diplomacy supporting all international efforts to resolve the crisis and enhance international cooperation in this regard. It also follows about two weeks after the UAE’s participation in the Ukraine Recovery Conference held on June 11-12 in Berlin, Germany, where they expressed their commitments to the Ukrainian people and achieving recovery and reconstruction.
An Emirati mediation, successfully concluded on Tuesday, led to a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the exchange of 180 prisoners of war from both sides.
The successful Emirati mediations between Russia and Ukraine, accompanied by continuous humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, offer a glimmer of hope for resolving a crisis that impacts global security and stability. They highlight the growing importance of the UAE, their international leadership, and the world’s trust and appreciation for their efforts and mediations.
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Through Emirati mediation… Prisoner exchange deal between Russia and Ukraine includes 195 soldiers
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The world welcomes the UAE’s mediation… Success in prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine
These successes also reinforce the UAE’s position as a key player and important partner in the success of peace initiatives at the regional and international levels, grounded in their civilizational message and historical heritage based on cooperation, humanitarian action, and the promotion of tolerance and brotherhood.
Details of the Deal
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday the success of the mediation efforts conducted by the UAE between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the exchange of 180 prisoners of war from both sides.
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The world welcomes the UAE’s mediation… Successful prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine
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Accusations of mutual attacks between Russia and Ukraine as the New Year begins
This mediation, the fifth of its kind this year, reflects the friendly and partnership relations the UAE has with both countries and their role as a trusted mediator. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed gratitude to the governments of Russia and Ukraine for their cooperation, which led to the success of this mediation.
The ministry also reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to supporting all initiatives aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the two countries, emphasizing that dialogue, de-escalation, and diplomacy are the only ways to resolve the crisis and mitigate its humanitarian repercussions.
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UAE Mediator role in the exchange of 200 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine
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The Ukraine War drains Russian resources and affects its influence in the Mediterranean
Mediation Successes
A new successful mediation crowns the continuous efforts of the Emirati leadership to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. These efforts have resulted in six prisoner exchanges between the two countries, including five this year, on the following dates:
- June 25, 2024: Exchange of 180 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine.
- May 31, 2024: Return of 75 Russian soldiers and an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners.
- February 8, 2024: Return of 100 Russian soldiers and an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners.
- January 31, 2024: Return of 195 Russian soldiers and an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners.
- January 3, 2024: Return of 248 Russian soldiers and over 200 Ukrainian prisoners, one of the largest exchanges since the beginning of the crisis in February 2022.
- February 4, 2023: Return of 63 “sensitive category” prisoners of war to Russia and 116 prisoners to Ukraine.
In addition to these mediations, an Emirati mediation in December 2022 successfully exchanged two prisoners between the United States and Russia.
Political Movement
Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis over two years ago, the UAE has been leading political and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote a peaceful resolution based on international law, respecting the sovereignty of states.
These efforts have been personally led by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has held several discussions on the crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin during reciprocal visits, the most recent being on December 6.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has also held several phone calls with the Russian President, including on February 5, and with the Ukrainian President on January 19.
Both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents have expressed their gratitude to the UAE President for the successful mediation efforts of his country.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed the UAE’s consistent approach of supporting peace and stability on regional and international fronts and seeking political solutions to conflicts, including the Ukrainian crisis, through de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy.
Humanitarian Efforts
Alongside their diplomatic and political efforts, the UAE continues its humanitarian efforts by organizing an air bridge to support Ukrainian refugees and those affected by the crisis.
As part of these efforts, the UAE sent a plane carrying 50 tons of food to Ukraine on March 27.
The UAE has also allocated $105 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, including food, medical supplies, ambulances, electric generators, laptops, and educational supplies to support Ukrainian civilians, especially children.
These efforts reflect the UAE’s commitment to providing essential needs to all populations worldwide during humanitarian crises, alleviating suffering, particularly among the most vulnerable groups, such as women, children, and the elderly.
