- First round of the discussions between Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the United Nations aiming to deliver stranded Ukrainian grain into the global market concluded in Istanbul on Wednesday.

- Türkiye said the meeting resulted in an agreement to form a coordination center to ensure the safety of routes and all parties will meet again next week for a final deal.

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later confirmed that Ukraine and Russia have made some progress at the talks. 

- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hailed the outcome as "substantive progress" and called for more technical work to materialize the progress.

- It's the first face-to-face and direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since March.

- On the battleground, several Ukrainian cities reported heavy Russian shelling. Russian media on Thursday said forces from Russia and "Luhansk People's Republic" have entered Siversk in the Donetsk region and placed it under operational control.