First modification: 02/05/2026 - 09:11 Last modification: 02/06/2026 - 00:30
The second round of talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi concluded this Thursday, February 5. Washington and Moscow agreed to restore high-level military dialogue. For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that there will be a round of talks with Russia "soon", and that it will probably be on US territory. Hours earlier, kyiv and Moscow agreed to an exchange of 314 prisoners.
The essentials:
This minute by minute has been closed. Below is the most important information from the day of February 5 related to the war in Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the conflict:
Trump rejects Putin's offer to extend nuclear deal
US President Donald Trump rejected an offer from his Russian counterpart to voluntarily extend limits on strategic nuclear weapons deployments after the treaty that kept them under control for more than two decades expired.
“Instead of extending New START, we should have our nuclear experts work on a new, improved and modernized treaty that can endure into the future,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
US Treasury Secretary signals new sanctions against Russia linked to peace talks in Ukraine.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that new U.S. sanctions against Russia depend on talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Bessent, who participated in talks with Russian officials and President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday, said he would consider new sanctions against Russia's parallel fleet, a step Trump has not taken since returning to office in January 2025.
"I will take it into consideration. We will see how the peace talks evolve," Bessent told a Senate Banking Committee hearing.
He added that the Trump administration's US sanctions against Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil had helped bring Russia to the negotiating table in peace talks.
Next round of Russian invasion resolution talks likely to be held in US: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the next round of talks on a resolution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Vladimir Putin ordered almost four years ago, will likely be held in the United States.
"Today I received a report from our negotiating team after two days of meetings and talks in the Emirates, both with the American and Russian sides. I hope that the team in kyiv will present me with a complete report in person, since many aspects cannot be adequately discussed over the phone. What can already be said is that new meetings are planned soon, probably in the United States. We are ready for all viable formats that can really bring peace closer and make it reliable, lasting and remove from Russia any desire to continue the war," Zelensky declared. in his nightly video speech.
"It is crucial that this war ends in a way that Russia does not receive any reward for its aggression. This is one of the key principles that restore and guarantee real security. I thank all partners who support us in this effort," he added.
Russia calls accusations against it regarding cyberattacks at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics "defamatory"
The accusations of cyberattacks linked to Russia at the venues of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, in Italy, are "defamatory" and have been presented without any evidence, according to what Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the state news agency RIA this Thursday, February 5.
Italy's foreign minister declared Wednesday that Rome had thwarted a series of cyberattacks — which it claimed were of Russian origin — targeting its Foreign Ministry facilities and websites linked to the Winter Olympics and hotels.
US to consider sanctioning Russian ghost fleet: Treasury secretary
New US sanctions on Russia hinge on 'peace talks': Treasury secretary
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he still thinks Putin is 'a war criminal'
Lavrov affirms that Putin is ready for a call with Macron, after calling French diplomacy “pathetic”
In an interview with the local channel 'RT', Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that the president of his country, Vladimir Putin, is ready to hold "serious" talks in a call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
But in parallel, he described the French leader's statements about the possible resumption of dialogue with Moscow as "pathetic diplomacy."
"If you want to talk, and talk seriously about something, call me. Putin always answers the phone. He listens to all proposals," Lavrov declared.
"Macron, about two weeks ago, repeated: 'I will call Putin one day.' That's not serious, you know? It's pathetic diplomacy," he added.
Lavrov's comments came after Macron's top diplomatic adviser, Emmanuel Bonne, visited Moscow on Tuesday, February 3, to meet with Russian officials, according to a source cited by the Reuters news agency. However, the French Presidency has neither confirmed nor denied the talks.
Report from kyiv: Russia bombs kyiv amid negotiations with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi
Ukraine ready to exchange drones for air defense missiles and MIG aircraft: Zelensky
kyiv is ready to swap its drones for Polish air defense missiles and MiG-29 fighter jets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday at a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Zelensky also indicated that the two discussed the development of power grid connectivity between Poland and Ukraine, whose energy system has been affected by Russian airstrikes in recent months.
Poland says it is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine for $56 million
Poland is preparing a new aid package of 200 million zlotys ($55.91 million) for Ukraine, consisting mainly of armored equipment, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday during a visit to kyiv.
The premier added that Poland could provide Ukraine with MiG-29 fighter jets at any time, but that Volodymyr Zelensky had told him that kyiv might need other air defense equipment as a higher priority and that he would discuss it with the Polish authorities and contact the Ukrainian president about it next Monday.
Zelensky says a round of talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi will take place "soon"
US and Russia agree to senior military dialogue after talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi
The United States and Russia agreed to reestablish high-level military dialogue following a meeting between Russian and American military commanders in Abu Dhabi, whose two-day round concluded this Thursday, February 5, according to the United States European Command in a statement.
The agreement was reached after meetings in Abu Dhabi between General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of the United States European Command - also NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe - and senior Russian and Ukrainian military commanders, according to the statement.
Grynkewich was in the capital of the United Arab Emirates to participate in talks between American, Russian and Ukrainian officials on ending the war in Ukraine. The channel "will provide constant military contact as the parties continue to work toward a lasting peace," according to the statement.
High-level military communication was suspended in 2021, just before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden announces energy aid of 111 million dollars for Ukraine
The Swedish government reported that it will allocate 1 billion Swedish crowns (about $111 million) in aid to Ukraine's energy system.
This is new support for kyiv affected by the damage caused to its energy infrastructure in the midst of the war.
Russia says it is open to international cooperation in Zaporizhia, but insists that the plant remain under Russian control
Russia said it is open to international cooperation on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, including collaboration with the United States, although it stressed that the plant must remain under Russian control.
This was stated by Alexei Likhachev, director of the state nuclear agency Rosatom, quoted by the TASS agency.
Since shortly after the start of the war in 2022, Russia has controlled the plant, located in southern Ukraine. Its future is one of the points of friction between Moscow and kyiv. Its six reactors are not in operation and the plant depends on external electricity supply to keep the nuclear material cooled and avoid a catastrophic accident.
The White House emissary for the war in Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, announces from Abu Dhabi an exchange of 314 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, reached an agreement in which both sides will exchange "314 prisoners", as confirmed by the White House emissary for the Ukrainian war Steve Witkoff announced from Abu Dhabi.
Witkoff said it was the first prisoner swap in five months between Moscow and kyiv.
"This result was achieved thanks to detailed and productive peace talks. Although there is still significant work ahead, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is yielding concrete results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine, he said on the social network X.
Following direct contacts in Istanbul last year, Ukraine and Russia have carried out numerous exchanges of captive soldiers and also civilians.
Russia expels German diplomat in retaliation
Moscow announced the expulsion of a German diplomat in what it called a reciprocity measure, after Berlin expelled a Russian diplomat accused of espionage in January.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Germany's accusations were unfounded, fabricated and constituted a provocation.
NATO calls for "moderation and responsibility" in relation to the end of the New Start nuclear treaty
The Atlantic Alliance called for "moderation and responsibility" after the expiration of the last bilateral nuclear disarmament treaty between Russia and the United States, a NATO official said.
Russia frees itself from nuclear limits after the expiration of the New Start treaty
The Kremlin said Russia is no longer subject to limits on nuclear warheads and delivery systems following the formal expiration of the New Start treaty with the United States, the last bilateral arms control agreement between the two powers.
Moscow assured that it will act in a "responsible" manner, but warned that it will take "decisive" measures if it considers its security threatened. The end of the treaty has generated international alarm over the risk of a new arms race, while the United States insists that any future agreement must include China.
Ukraine says it attacked infrastructure at Russian missile launch site
Ukraine's military said it carried out a series of “successful” attacks on infrastructure at a Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile launch site in January.
The military used its long-range capabilities to carry out the strikes, including the Ukrainian-made Flamingo missile.
The Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement that several buildings were damaged, a hangar suffered "significant" damage and some personnel were evacuated from the Kapustin Yar test site, near the Caspian Sea. He did not specify the dates of the attacks.
With EFE, AFP, AP, Reuters and local media
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