Russia and Ukraine fail again to agree ceasefire but commit to prisoner swap

The two warring sides remain far apart on how to end the conflict after a second round of talks in Turkey.

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Ukrainian negotiators said Russia had again rejected an "unconditional ceasefire" - a key demand by Kyiv and its allies in Europe and the US - but the two committed to return the bodies of 12,000 soldiers.

The Russian team said it had proposed a two- or three-day truce "in certain areas" of the vast front line, but gave no further details.

At Monday's talks, which were held in the Turkish city of Istanbul and lasted just over an hour, the two sides did agree to exchange all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well those aged under 25.

Expectations were low even before the talks started, with both sides remaining deeply divided on how to end a war that has been raging since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.