Hours after a new round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia concluded in Istanbul, the Russian army launched a “massive” attack on the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa on Wednesday night, causing damage to civilian infrastructure,

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.