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.

The two sides agreed to have a prisoner exchange of 1,200 people, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said.

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.