“Just as the negotiation table (between Russia and Ukraine) was established in Istanbul, the peace table will also be established in Türkiye in the not-too-distant future, and this bloody war will come to an end,” Erdogan said, speaking after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.

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.

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.