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.

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.

By Ben Aris in Berlin Russia and Ukraine have concluded a third round of direct negotiations in Istanbul on July 23, agreeing to another large POW swap and including civilians in future prisoner exchanges for the first time,