Ukraine closed out its third round of direct talks with Russia on Wednesday with a proposal to hold a “leaders’ summit” by the end of August with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin,

Hundreds of people gathered in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv to lodge their protest with the Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration for passing a controversial bill tightening restrictions on its anti-corruption agencies, presenting the war-hit nation with its biggest domestic turmoil since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Russian negotiators flew to Turkey to hold peace talks with Ukraine on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, before what will be the first direct discussions between the warring sides in more than seven weeks.