Ukraine conducted the ninth stage of the prisoner exchange on 23 July, bringing seriously ill and wounded soldiers back home. Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter) Quote: "Today, already the 9th stage of the exchange agreed in Istanbul took place.

Negotiators for the warring sides in Istanbul appeared to make little progress on ceasefire terms or a possible summit between their presidents – with their meeting ending after less than an hour.

Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders.