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Pressure mounts on Ukraine, Russia to strike peace deal as civilians bear the brunt of war

Pressure mounts on Ukraine, Russia to strike peace deal as civilians bear the brunt of war
By Patrick Keddie and Christine Maguire
Published On 5 Feb 2026

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5 Feb 2026 - 14:00
 (14:00 GMT)

It’s a wrap from us

Thank you for joining our live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war.

To read more on the Ukrainian death toll from the war, go here.

Check out our explainer on the expiration of the last US-Russia nuclear treaty here.

For all our latest coverage of the Ukraine-Russia war, here is our dedicated page.

5 Feb 2026 - 13:55
 (13:55 GMT)

Photos: Russian servicemen celebrate release

This video grab taken from handout footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday shows former Russian prisoners of war (POWs) reacting in a bus following an exchange of prisoners at an undisclosed location in Belarus [AFP]
[AFP]

5 Feb 2026 - 13:50
 (13:50 GMT)

Russia says ready to talk to US on nuclear limits if it responds ‘constructively’

Russia is still ready to engage in dialogue with the US ⁠if the latter responds constructively to its proposal to keep abiding by ‌the limits of the expiring New START nuclear treaty, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Listen, ‌if there ‌are any ⁠constructive replies, of course we will conduct ‌a dialogue,” he told reporters.

He also said the Kremlin regretted the end of the last treaty governing the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the US.

“We view it negatively,” Peskov said.

5 Feb 2026 - 13:45
 (13:45 GMT)

Zelenskyy promises to free all Ukrainian prisoners

Ukraine’s president has hailed today’s release, thanking everyone who worked to free the Ukrainian prisoners.

“Without the determination of our soldiers, such exchanges would be impossible,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a post on Telegram.

“Let’s continue working to free our people from captivity. We must return and will definitely return everyone.”

5 Feb 2026 - 13:40
 (13:40 GMT)
Developing

Russia says 157 soldiers, three citizens released

Russia’s Ministry of Defence says the three Russian citizens were residents of the Kursk region and “will be taken home”.

The 157 Russian servicemen are on Belarussian territory, where they are receiving psychological and medical aid, the ministry said.

“All released servicemen will be taken to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Defence Ministry,” it said.

The ministry added that “humanitarian mediation efforts” during the release were carried out by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

5 Feb 2026 - 13:35
 (13:35 GMT)
Developing

More on Ukrainian prisoners being released

We have more details on the release of Ukrainian prisoners:

  • Some 150 Ukrainian soldiers and seven civilians will be returning to the country.
  • Of those soldiers, 139 have been held since 2022.
  • The youngest soldier set to be released is 23 years old, while the oldest is 63.
5 Feb 2026 - 13:25
 (13:25 GMT)
Developing

Zelenskyy says negotiations ‘not easy’

We have some comments from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the talks between Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi.

“It is certainly not easy, but Ukraine has been and will remain as constructive as possible,” Zelenskyy told a news conference in Kyiv alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

“We want faster results,” he said.

5 Feb 2026 - 13:10
 (13:10 GMT)

Here’s a recap

Let’s bring you up to speed with the latest developments:

  • Ukraine and Russia have conducted their first prisoner exchange in months, each releasing 157 captured soldiers, Russia’s Defence Ministry says.
  • The exchange has come as negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv have held a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi on ending their war as Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and the two sides have continued their grinding war of attrition.
  • Ukraine’s military says it had launched a series of successful strikes in January on a complex at the Kapustin Yar missile launch site in Astrakhan in southern Russia.
  • Starlink terminals used by Russia for drone attacks inside Ukraine have been deactivated, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says.
  • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has begun a visit to Ukraine, where he is to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
5 Feb 2026 - 13:00
 (13:00 GMT)

Photos: Polish PM visits Kyiv

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visit the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine outside Saint Michael’s Cathedral in Kyiv [Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters]
[Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters]
[Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters]

5 Feb 2026 - 12:45
 (12:45 GMT)

Russia maintains assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

By Audrey MacAlpine

Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine

Last night was the third consecutive night that Russia launched aerial attacks into Ukraine.

While there were no deaths, several people were injured around the country, two of them here in Kyiv.

And in the front-line city of Sumy, a railcar was damaged in an attack – a railcar that was being used as an emergency shelter from the cold.

Since the winter began, there have been continued Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have led to emergency shelters being erected around the country. So we have seen these sustained attacks for a number of weeks now.

Following the first round of trilateral talks last month, it was agreed to put a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure.

While nothing of that nature has been announced from these ongoing talks in Abu Dhabi, many hope that perhaps there will be a similar announcement in the coming days.

5 Feb 2026 - 12:30
 (12:30 GMT)

Prisoner swap not groundbreaking but gives relief to many families

By Audrey MacAlpine

Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine

These have historically been points that both sides have been able to agree on – the exchange of prisoners, as well as deceased bodies of soldiers throughout the conflict.

In the spring, when both sides had met in Turkiye, they also agreed to similar prisoner swaps – 1,000 for 1,000 for example – but still, this is the first agreement of its kind in the past five months.

Critics may, with that in mind, say that this announcement in and of itself is not particularly groundbreaking.

But many here say that it is at least still something – especially for many of those mothers who will now be welcoming home their sons who have been in captivity.

5 Feb 2026 - 12:15
 (12:15 GMT)

Moscow says Russia must control Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, but open to working with US

Russia is ready for international cooperation over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, including with the United ⁠States, a senior nuclear official has been quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

However, the facility must be under Russian control, said Alexei Likhachev, head of ⁠the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Russian forces have controlled the plant in southern Ukraine since shortly after the start of the war ‌in 2022. Its fate is one of the points of contention between Russia ‌and Ukraine in peace talks mediated ‌by the United ⁠States.

The six reactors are not in operation, and the plant ‌relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a catastrophic accident.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been under Russian control since 2022 [File: Alina Smutko/Reuters]
5 Feb 2026 - 12:14
 (12:14 GMT)
Houthi

Second day of Ukraine and Russia peace talks ends in UAE: Ukrainian spokesperson

Ukraine and Russia have concluded the second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at finding an end to their four-year war, a Ukrainian spokesperson says after the warring sides agreed a prisoner swap.

“The negotiations have concluded,” Diana Davitian, spokeswoman for Ukraine’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov, told journalists without elaborating.

5 Feb 2026 - 12:00
 (12:00 GMT)

If you’re just joining us

Here are the latest developments:

  • Delegations from Ukraine and Russia have started a second day of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi to discuss ending the almost four-year war.
  • Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on X.
  • Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told state media there has been “progress” in the talks, with things “moving forward in a good, positive direction”.
  • The last remaining arms pact between the US and Russia expired on Thursday. Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday night said it assumes “that the parties to the New START Treaty are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations within the context of the Treaty”.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an estimated 55,000 of his country’s soldiers have been killed since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
5 Feb 2026 - 11:56
 (11:56 GMT)
Houthi

Russia and Ukraine swap 157 prisoners each, RIA reports

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 157 ⁠prisoners of war each, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti ⁠has reported, citing the Defence Ministry.

Three ‌civilians from the Kursk region of Ukraine were ‌returned ‌to Russia as ⁠part of the swap, ‌the ministry added.

5 Feb 2026 - 11:45
 (11:45 GMT)

Russian Starlink terminals in Ukraine deactivated, Ukrainian defence minister says

Starlink terminals used by Russia for drone attacks inside Ukraine have been deactivated, the Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said.

He said in a post on Telegram that Ukraine is working with Starlink to update “white lists” once a day, saying it’s a “very large-scale process” to verify all devices.

“White lists” are an official registry of approved civilian terminals aimed at preventing unauthorised use.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X that it “[looks] like the steps we took to stop the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have worked. Let us know if more needs to be done.”

In 2024, Musk denied that Starlink terminals had been sold to Russia. Ukrainian intelligence services say the Russian military has obtained terminals through third countries.

5 Feb 2026 - 11:30
 (11:30 GMT)
Explainer

History of previous talks between Russia and Ukraine

Today’s talks between Russia and Ukraine are the latest of several previous efforts to end the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Belarus days after Russia’s invasion, and held another two rounds of talks in early March 2022. Russia wanted Ukrainian neutrality and for Kyiv to recognise Crimea as Russian, and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. Ukraine demanded full troop withdrawal.

Turkiye hosted talks in late March, and the negotiating teams agreed on a framework for a possible treaty. Ukraine would not join NATO if it received international security guarantees and could apply for EU membership. Russia demanded veto power over Ukrainian security policies. The negotiating teams agreed on a framework for a possible treaty.

The talks collapsed in April 2022 after Russia’s deadly attack on the Bucha suburb of Kyiv, with both sides disagreeing over key points. Russia rejected a Ukrainian proposal to conduct military drills without Moscow’s permission, and Ukraine rejected a Russian demand that would give it the ability to veto other states’ military intervention to defend Ukraine.

In May 2025, Russian and Ukrainian delegations held direct talks for the first time in three years. While they agreed on prisoner and body exchanges, they failed to agree on other key issues.

US President Donald Trump set a deadline for a ceasefire for August, and when that passed, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, after which he called for Ukraine to give up territory. Zelenskyy and other European leaders met in the White House, with security guarantees for Ukraine a key topic.

The previous round began last month, with Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators gathering in Abu Dhabi. Russia’s demand that Ukraine give up the areas of Donbas under its control was a red line and the talks ended without agreement.

5 Feb 2026 - 11:15
 (11:15 GMT)

Russia expels German diplomat in tit-for-tat move

The Russian Foreign Ministry says a German diplomat will be expelled after Berlin last month threw out a Russian official it accused of being a spy handler.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had issued a “note declaring a diplomatic employee of the German Embassy in Moscow persona non grata” in what was a “symmetrical response”.

5 Feb 2026 - 11:00
 (11:00 GMT)

Ukraine, Russia delegations agree to exchange 314 prisoners, Witkoff says

Delegations from Ukraine and ⁠Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, US President Donald ⁠Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has said in a post ‌on X.

“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive,’ he said.

“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.

“Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks.”

5 Feb 2026 - 10:45
 (10:45 GMT)

Kremlin says it neither confirms nor denies visit by Macron’s top diplomat

The Kremlin says it can neither confirm ⁠nor deny reports that French President Emmanuel Macron’s top diplomat visited Moscow this week.

Emmanuel Bonne was in Moscow on Tuesday to hold talks with Russian officials, a ‌French source who was aware of the meeting and ‌two diplomatic sources told the Reuters news agency.

Kremlin spokesman ‌Dmitry Peskov ⁠told reporters only that French sources were fond of ‌leaking to the media.