By Tian Jingxin
The U.S. European Command said on Thursday, Feb. 6 that the United States and Russia have agreed to restore a high-level military communication mechanism, reopening direct military contacts that have been largely suspended since 2021.
The agreement followed meetings in Abu Dhabi involving senior officials from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, marking a rare thaw in military-to-military engagement between Washington and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to EUCOM, the arrangement was reached after talks between Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of U.S. forces in Europe and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and senior military officials from Russia and Ukraine. The command said the renewed channel would support ongoing efforts toward a durable peace by maintaining regular military communication.
High-level contacts between U.S. and Russian military leadership were curtailed in the period preceding Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Officials said the restoration of dialogue is intended to reduce the risk of direct confrontation and prevent miscalculation between the two militaries.
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Several incidents in recent years highlighted the risks posed by limited communication. In March 2023, a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed into the Black Sea after Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on it and struck its propeller. In September last year, a Russian drone entered Polish airspace and was shot down, while NATO aircraft intercepted and escorted Russian military planes over Estonian airspace.
Western officials have described such encounters as attempts to test NATO’s response thresholds. They said direct military communication could help prevent similar incidents from escalating.
The resumption of military dialogue coincided with a second day of talks in Abu Dhabi among U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, attended the meeting, signaling the new U.S. administration’s involvement in the process.
While no details of a broader peace framework were disclosed, Russia and Ukraine announced a new prisoner exchange following the talks. Russia said it received 157 servicemen and three civilians captured in the Kursk region. Ukraine reported the return of 150 servicemen and seven civilians.
Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said 18 of the released Ukrainian detainees had previously been sentenced illegally by Russian authorities and that many showed signs of severe malnutrition and psychological trauma.
Fighting continued despite diplomatic efforts. Russian forces have intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent days.
Early Thursday, Russia launched 183 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine, causing civilian casualties in Kyiv and other locations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told France 2 television that nearly four years into the war, 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, with many others missing. The figure marked an increase from the 46,000 deaths he reported in early 2025.
