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Delegations from Moscow and Kiev have begun discussions about the possibility of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
These discussions took place during talks held between these two delegations in Istanbul earlier this week, Zelensky said in comments published on July 25.
Zelensky is seeking a meeting with Putin and has called on US President Donald Trump - who is pushing for the parties to reach an agreement - to also attend the meeting.
Putin has said he is willing to meet with Zelensky, but only during "a final stage" of negotiations to end the war that began over three years ago.
"We need an end to the war, and that probably starts with a meeting of leaders," Zelensky told reporters.
"In talks with us, they have started to discuss this issue. There is already progress towards some kind of meeting format," he added.
In the latest round of talks held on Wednesday, Kiev proposed holding talks at the end of August.
This time is also close to the deadline set by Trump, who earlier this month gave Russia 50 days to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face sanctions.
A day earlier, the Kremlin downplayed the possibility of a Putin-Zelensky meeting in a short period of time.
"A high-level meeting can and should provide a final solution," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Is it possible to go through this complicated process within 30 days? It's unlikely to happen," he added.
Talks to end the war have produced few results. The sides have radically different positions, and Ukraine has accused Russia of sending low-level officials who have no decision-making power to the talks.
Russia has called on Ukraine to give up four regions that Moscow claims it has annexed, a demand that Kiev has called unacceptable.
Ukraine says it will never recognize Russia's claim to the occupied territories - including Crimea, which the Kremlin annexed in 2014.
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