"US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said that the US, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners in the first such exchange in five months. He said: This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. 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. Witkoff added that discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks."
"David O'Sullivan, a veteran Irish official, said sanctions were not a silver bullet and would always face circumvention, but insisted that after four years he was confident they were having an effect. I am fairly bullish. I think that the sanctions have really had a significant impact on the Russian economy, he told the Guardian in a rare interview. We may be, in the course of 2026, coming to a point where the whole thing becomes unsustainable, because so much of the Russian economy has been distorted so much by the building up of the war economy at the expense of the civil economy. I think defying the laws of economic gravity can only go on for so long."
The US, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, the first such swap in five months, achieved through detailed and productive peace talks. Continued discussions are expected with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks. Western sanctions are having a significant impact on the Russian economy, though circumvention remains a risk, and the war-driven distortion of the economy may become unsustainable by 2026. Ukraine is simultaneously enduring intense Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and a bitterly cold winter with Kyiv temperatures near -20C. US vice-president JD Vance arrived in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics opening.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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