The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy could only happen as a final step to seal a peace deal.

For the first time in a long period, conversations between representatives of Ukraine and Russia have begun to include signals about a possible meeting between the two countries' leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a media briefing on July 24.

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