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Successive Emirati mediations for prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow crown the UAE’s continuous efforts to resolve crises, support stability, and promote peace worldwide.

• Emirati Diplomacy Succeeds in Securing Exchange of 180 Prisoners Between Russia and Ukraine

• The world welcomes the UAE’s mediation… Successful prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine 

These mediations come amid the ongoing military escalation between the two sides, highlighting the importance and weight of the UAE’s role and the trust and appreciation they enjoy from both sides of the conflict.

Moreover, through their success in these mediations, the UAE maintains a window of hope for a political and diplomatic solution to this crisis, which has lasted for more than two years.

As part of their latest efforts in this regard, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today, Wednesday, that it had recovered 95 Russian soldiers from Ukraine through a prisoner exchange operation mediated by the UAE.

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This marks the second Emirati mediation in less than a month, the sixth this year, and the seventh since the crisis began in February 2022, crowning their ongoing political, diplomatic, and humanitarian efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

An Emirati “Humanitarian Mediation”

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today, Wednesday, that it had recovered 95 soldiers from Ukraine through a prisoner exchange operation mediated by the UAE.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said: “As a result of negotiations, 95 Russian soldiers, who were in mortal danger, were repatriated from territories controlled by the Kyiv regime.”

• Emirati Mediation Between Russia and Ukraine Succeeds in Exchanging 180 Prisoners

The statement added: “In return, 95 prisoners of war were handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

The statement indicated that the released soldiers would be transported by Russian military aircraft to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation in medical facilities of the Russian Ministry of Defense, noting that all the released soldiers are currently receiving the necessary medical and psychological assistance.

According to the statement, the UAE provided a “humanitarian mediation” to secure the return of the Russian soldiers from captivity.

• UAE Mediation: A New “Prisoner” Exchange Deal Between Russia and Ukraine

Uninterrupted Efforts

Less than a month ago, an Emirati mediation succeeded on June 25 in facilitating a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the exchange of 180 war prisoners from both sides.

At the time, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a communiqué that the UAE continues its efforts and initiatives to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the two countries.

The statement emphasized that dialogue, de-escalation, and adopting a diplomatic path are the only ways to resolve the crisis, contributing to alleviating its humanitarian impacts.

• Through Emirati mediation… Prisoner exchange deal between Russia and Ukraine includes 195 soldiers

This vision reflects the UAE’s balanced position on the crisis and their sincere efforts to resolve it on multiple fronts, which have resulted in their mediation success in conducting seven prisoner exchanges between the two countries, six of which occurred this year, as follows:

• July 17, 2024: Russia recovered 95 of its captured soldiers in exchange for Ukraine recovering a similar number of prisoners from Russia.
• June 25, 2024: A prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine led to the exchange of 180 war prisoners from both sides.
• May 31, 2024: Russia recovered 75 of its captured soldiers in exchange for Ukraine recovering a similar number of prisoners from Russia.

• The world welcomes the UAE’s mediation… Success in prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine 

• February 8, 2024: Russia recovered 100 of its captured soldiers in exchange for Ukraine recovering a similar number of prisoners from Russia.
• January 31, 2024: 195 soldiers returned to Russia in exchange for Ukraine recovering a similar number of prisoners from Russia.
• January 3, 2024: Mediation resulted in the return of 248 soldiers to Russia in exchange for Ukraine recovering more than 200 prisoners, marking one of the largest prisoner exchanges between the two sides since the crisis began in February 2022.
• February 4, 2023: Mediation resulted in the return of 63 “sensitive category” war prisoners to Russia in exchange for Ukraine recovering 116 prisoners.

 

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Additionally, an Emirati mediation succeeded in December 2022 in exchanging two prisoners between the United States and Russia.

Messages and Indications

These successive efforts carry several messages and indications, the most notable of which are:

• The UAE’s success in conducting consecutive prisoner exchanges between the two sides of the conflict results from their strong relations with both parties, the trust they inspire, their efforts in supporting dialogue and peace, and the appreciation for their balanced position on this crisis.
• The UAE’s commitment to continue mediating between the parties and facilitating consecutive prisoner exchanges reflects their tireless and ongoing efforts to promote a peaceful resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

 

• UAE Mediator role in the exchange of 200 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine

Since the onset of the Ukrainian crisis over two years ago, the UAE has been leading political and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote a rational, realistic, and peaceful solution based on the principles of international law, particularly respecting state sovereignty.

These efforts have been led by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, who has held several discussions on the crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky separately.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed that the UAE supports resolving various conflicts worldwide through dialogue and diplomatic means to enhance global peace and security, adhering to their consistent approach of supporting peace, cooperation, and stability at regional and global levels.

• The Ukraine War drains Russian resources and affects its influence in the Mediterranean

• The military crisis between Ukraine and Russia has escalated 

The efforts of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to resolve the crisis have been positively received by the parties involved, with statements from both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing their appreciation for the UAE’s efforts.

• The continuous successes of the UAE in mediation demonstrate the wisdom of their vision since the start of the crisis by adopting a balanced positive neutrality, allowing them to play a positive role in resolving the crisis.

Maintaining this balanced position has enabled the UAE, with their strong relations and mutual friendships with both Russia and Ukraine, to support efforts to open dialogue channels and mediate a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

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• Along with their positive neutrality during the crisis, the UAE also succeeded in leveraging their position to support economic cooperation with Ukraine, culminating in the successful negotiation of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the two countries three months ago.

The UAE and Ukraine concluded the negotiations for the comprehensive economic partnership agreement on April 29, paving the way for the final agreement’s signing later, as part of the UAE’s commitment to building strong partnerships with Ukraine through this agreement, marking another historic achievement in bilateral relations.