Kyiv and Moscow will hold a new round of peace talks — the first in seven weeks — on Wednesday in Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The two sides made little progress toward a ceasefire — despite President Trump's threats of harsh new economic penalties on Moscow should it fail to agree to a deal by early September.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams will again meet in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed, for the first such meeting since President Donald Trump set a 50-day deadline for a ceasefire to be reached.

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.

Ukraine closed out its third round of direct talks with Russia on Wednesday with a proposal to hold a “leaders’ summit” by the end of August with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian

Ukrainian drones hit Russia's Sochi resort while Russian forces bombarded Odessa's residential areas and historic Pryvoz market, hours after ceasefire talks collapsed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is stalling over a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Trump has changed his mind about sending weapons to Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump wants to personally make decisions regarding sanctions against Russia over its war against Ukraine, states White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the President was in close contact with his allies in the Senate,