Published on: 05/02/2026 - 08:37 Last updated: 05/02/2026 - 21:31
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to receive a call from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to hold “serious” talks, but he described the French president’s statements regarding resuming dialogue with Moscow as “very bad diplomacy.” The two-day talks between Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations with the aim of finding a solution to the war in Ukraine concluded on Thursday in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi. This comes as the two sides exchanged 157 prisoners from each side.
Trump: We must conclude a “new and improved” nuclear treaty with Russia
US President Donald Trump said in a post on social media platforms on Thursday that Washington should conclude a “new, improved and modernized treaty” with Russia instead of extending the New START nuclear arms control treaty.
Trump calls for a “new, improved and updated treaty” with Russia after New START ends.
US President Donald Trump called on Thursday for concluding a “new, improved and updated treaty” with Russia, after the end of the effects of “New START,” the last nuclear arms control treaty between the two countries. "Instead of extending the New START Treaty, we should ask our nuclear experts to work on a new, improved and updated treaty that can last into the future," the US President wrote on his Truth Social platform. The New START Treaty expired on Thursday, marking a major turning point in the history of arms control since the Cold War, and raising fears of the spread of nuclear weapons.
Kiev: New Ukrainian-Russian-American talks expected “in the coming weeks”
Macron calls for "acceleration" of the "European independence" agenda
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Thursday to "accelerate" the "European independence" agenda, and his circles said he was determined to push for "change" during an upcoming meeting of EU leaders. The French President said on the X platform, “For Europe, its decision is in its own hands, and it is more competitive and sovereign.”
Lavrov says Putin is ready to receive a call from Macron for a “serious” discussion
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to receive a call from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to hold “serious” talks, but he described the French president’s statements regarding resuming dialogue with Moscow as “very bad diplomacy.” Lavrov said in an interview with the Russian RT channel, "If you want to talk, and talk seriously about any topic, call. Putin will always answer the phone. He listens to all proposals." He added, "About two weeks ago, Macron stated again, 'I will call Putin one day.' This is not serious, you know, it's very bad diplomacy."
An exchange of prisoners of war between Kyiv and Moscow included 157 prisoners from each side
Russia and Ukraine announced Thursday that they had conducted a prisoner-of-war exchange that included 157 prisoners from each side, for the first time since October, in a development that is the only announced outcome so far of talks held in Abu Dhabi to put an end to the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in his accounts on social media platforms that 157 Ukrainians, including members of the army, the National Guard, and the Border Guard, in addition to civilians, were released and returned to Ukraine.
Axios: America and Russia are close to an agreement to continue working with the Arms Treaty
Axios reported, citing three sources familiar with the negotiations, that the United States and Russia are close to reaching an agreement to continue working with the New START Treaty to limit nuclear weapons after its expiration date on Thursday. The New START Treaty, which places restrictions on each party's missiles, launch platforms and strategic warheads, is the latest in a series of nuclear agreements related to the Cold War era.
Russia expels a German diplomat in response to a similar action taken by Berlin (Foreign Affairs)
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday the expulsion of a German diplomat in response to a similar measure taken by Berlin, which announced last January 22 the expulsion of a Russian diplomat it accused of spying. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "The head of the German diplomatic mission delivered a memorandum deeming a diplomatic employee at the German embassy as persona non grata, in a response consistent with the German government's decision."
The United States and Russia agree to relaunch a high-level military dialogue (Pentagon)
The United States announced Thursday that it had agreed with Russia to resume a high-level military dialogue, hours after the expiration of the last treaty that imposed restrictions on the two countries' nuclear arsenals. The US Army's European Command said in a statement, "Maintaining dialogue between armies is an important factor in global stability and peace, which can only be achieved through force, and provides a means to increase transparency and reduce escalation."
Zelensky: Ukraine wants to achieve "faster results" in the peace process
An exchange between Kyiv and Moscow included 157 prisoners from each side (Russian Ministry of Defense)
On Thursday, Moscow and Kiev conducted the first prisoner exchange in months, which included each of them releasing 157 captured soldiers, according to what the Russian Ministry of Defense reported, as part of Washington-sponsored talks in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the war.
The ministry said in a statement, “On February 5, 157 Russian soldiers were returned” from Ukraine, adding that “in return, 157 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian armed forces were handed over” to Kiev.
She pointed out that the United States and the UAE played a mediating role in the exchange process.
Negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington end in Abu Dhabi (Ukrainian spokeswoman)
The two-day talks between Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations with the aim of finding a solution to the war in Ukraine were concluded Thursday in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, according to what a Ukrainian spokeswoman announced.
Diana Davityan, spokeswoman for the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustam Umarov, told reporters, “The negotiations are over,” noting that Kiev would announce more details at a later time.
The American envoy: Talks between Russia and Ukraine are “fruitful,” but there is still “a lot of work” to do.
Witkov: The delegations of America, Ukraine and Russia agree to exchange 314 prisoners
Steve Witkoff, special envoy of US President Donald Trump, said in a post on the X platform on Thursday that delegations representing the United States, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners.
"Discussions will continue, and further progress is expected in the coming weeks," he said.
The Kremlin: We do not confirm or deny the visit of the diplomatic advisor to the French president
The Kremlin said on Thursday that it could neither confirm nor deny reports that French President Emmanuel Macron's diplomatic advisor visited Moscow this week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that French sources tend to leak information to the media.
A French source with knowledge of the meeting and two diplomatic sources said that Macron's diplomatic affairs advisor was in Moscow on Tuesday for talks with Russian officials.
The first source said that Emmanuel Beaune, who has headed Macron's diplomatic department since 2019, met with officials in the Kremlin.
He did not provide further details, saying only that the goal was to hold a dialogue on major issues, the most important of which was Ukraine.
Russia expels a German diplomat in response to a similar action taken by Berlin (Foreign Affairs)
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday the expulsion of a German diplomat in response to a similar measure taken by Berlin, which announced on January 22 the expulsion of a Russian diplomat it accused of spying.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “The head of the German diplomatic mission delivered a memorandum deeming a diplomatic employee at the German embassy as persona non grata, in a response consistent with the decision of the German government,” considering that Berlin bears “full responsibility for the new escalation in bilateral relations.”
Ukrainian Army: We targeted infrastructure at a Russian missile launch site in January
The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that it carried out a series of "successful" strikes on the infrastructure of a Russian medium-range ballistic missile launch site in January.
The Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement that some buildings were damaged, one of the hangars was damaged, and some personnel were evacuated.
From the Kapustin Yar testing range near the Caspian Sea. The statement did not specifically mention the dates of the attacks.
The army added that it used its long-range capabilities to carry out the strikes, including the Ukrainian-made Flamingo missile.
Moscow announces “progress” in the talks in Abu Dhabi (Russian envoy)
Moscow announced Thursday “progress” in talks with Kiev in Abu Dhabi, with the aim of ending the war in Ukraine that has been ongoing for nearly 4 years.
Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev told local media, "There is progress, there is no doubt. Things are moving in the right direction," denouncing at the same time what he considered European attempts to "obstruct the path."
The start of the second day of talks between Russia and Ukraine in the UAE (negotiator)
The second day of negotiations between the Ukrainians and the Russians began under the auspices of the United States in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with the aim of ending the ongoing war in Ukraine for about 4 years.
Chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustam Umarov said, “The second day of talks began in Abu Dhabi. We are working according to the same formulas as yesterday: tripartite consultations, working groups, and coordination of positions later.”
France 24/ Agencies
Keywords related to the article
The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.
