Ukraine on Wednesday proposed direct talks within weeks between its President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin, but Moscow tempered prospects for progress at a fresh round of talks in Istanbul on Wednesday.

A Russian negotiator said his country agreed to the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges with Ukraine and proposed brief ceasefires allowing dead and wounded soldiers to be recovered.

Host country Turkey urged steps towards a lasting ceasefire and peace deal, but the Kremlin played down any expectations of a breakthrough after three-and-a-half years of war.

Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, told reporters: "Priority number one is to organise the meeting of the leaders, of presidents", in comments after the talks.

He said Kyiv had proposed to hold the talks by the end of August, with US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also participating.

Moscow's lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters the sides had lengthy discussions but added: "The positions are quite distant. We agreed to continue........

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