Ukraine wants to organize a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be the next step in negotiations with Russia, says Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Brief talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul with lower-level delegations. This was the first time the two countries held direct negotiations since the first weeks of Russia's invasion.

Russia and Ukraine are set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey.