It restated Moscow's demands that Ukraine become a neutral country - ruling out membership of NATO - and that it protect the rights of Russian speakers, make Russian an official language and enact a legal ban on glorification of Nazism. Ukraine rejects the Nazi charge as absurd and denies discriminating against Russian speakers.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new prisoner swap and the return of thousands of dead soldiers during direct talks in Istanbul, although little headway was made towards ending the war. The rival delegations met on Monday at the Ottoman-era Ciragan Palace in the Turkish city,