The announcement appears to preclude any kind of top-level meeting or breakthrough ahead of the 50-day deadline for an agreement given by President Donald Trump.

Mr Zelensky said Russia was still attempting to advance on several parts of the front. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was unlikely that such a meeting could occur by the end of August,

Mr Zelensky faced unprecedented pushback after signing a law that handed control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo) over to the prosecutor general, a position directly appointed by the president.

Thousands of people gathered in the capital and other cities across Ukraine on Tuesday evening to urge President Volodymyr Zelensky to veto the controversial bill.

Opponents of a new law they say strips Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs of their independence called for a third straight day of street protests across the country Thursday.