ABU DHABI: The UAE on Monday announced the success of its latest mediation effort between the Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the exchange of 300 prisoners — 150 from each side.

The exchange brought the total number of prisoners exchanged through UAE-mediated negotiations to 2,484.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked Russian and Ukranian officials for their cooperation and responsiveness in facilitating the exchange, Emirates News Agency, known as WAM, reported.

The ministry said that the success of the mediation underscores the UAE’s position as a trusted intermediary and its commitment to fostering diplomatic solutions to the conflict, WAM added.

“With the completion of this latest prisoner exchange, the number of Emirati-mediated exchanges since the start of 2024 has reached 10,” the ministry said, highlighting the trust placed in the UAE by both countries.

It is not the first instance of the UAE playing a role in international mediations. In December 2022, the UAE mediated a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the UAE and other partners for facilitating the swap.

“The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for each of us. And today is one of such days, our team managed to bring 189 Ukrainians home,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported earlier on Monday the prisoner swap, saying each side had freed 150 prisoners of war. There was no immediate explanation of the discrepancy in the numbers reported.

Zelensky added that the returning Ukrainians included soldiers, sergeants and officers from different frontline areas, and also two civilians who had been captured in the southern port of Mariupol, which was taken by Russia in 2022.