• Turkey facilitates peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
• Both sides agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war each and proposed short-term ceasefires.
• US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy will occur.

The latest round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul, where both sides agreed on the mutual exchange of at least 1,200 prisoners of war. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that “every new achievement brings the sides one step closer to peace,” indicating progress in discussions despite the lack of consensus on a ceasefire, according to aa and trtglobal.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov proposed organizing a summit involving Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin, as well as US President Trump and Turkish President Erdogan, by the end of August. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that a meeting seems unlikely within such a timeframe due to the “diametrically opposed” positions of both countries, according to lemonde and dawn.

During the discussions, both Russia and Ukraine acknowledged advancements in humanitarian issues, such as the recovery of fallen soldiers and the return of civilian captives, including children. Yet, substantive agreements on a ceasefire have not been reached, as Russia continues to propose limited ceasefires for humanitarian missions, according to scmp and africanews.

Furthermore, President Trump is optimistic about the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, expressing that such discussions should have occurred earlier. He is supportive of Türkiye’s role in facilitating potential talks among these leaders, according to aa and trtglobal.