US team in Moscow for Ukraine talks as Russia retakes key town

US officials are in Moscow to discuss a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived on Thursday morning to try to convince Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to earlier this week in talks with the US.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said talks were "taking place in a calm manner" - but rejected the proposal, saying it would amount to nothing more than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military and a chance for it to regroup.

The American visit comes as the Russian military claimed to have recaptured Sudzha - a key town in the Kursk region that Ukraine invaded last year in a surprise attack.

President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk on Wednesday and met military commanders, who told him Russian troops had recaptured 86% of the area and were in the final stage of driving Ukrainian forces out.

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Speaking on Thursday, presidential aide Ushakov said the truce proposals were "nothing but a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing else."

"Our aim is long-lasting peaceful settlement which takes account of our country's legitimate interests and concerns. No one need such steps that only imitate peaceful actions," he told Russian state TV.

He added that a "normal exchange of opinions" between Russia and the US was "taking place in a calm manner".

Following the talks between US and Ukraine in Jeddah on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was now up to the US to convince Russia to agree to the "positive" proposal.

Yesterday Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the "ball is truly in their [Russia's] court" and that the US believes the only way to end the fighting was through peace negotiations.

On Wednesday Trump said he had received "positive messages" about the possibility of a ceasefire.

"But a positive message means nothing," he said. "This is a very serious situation."

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In the Oval Office, Trump said that he believes a ceasefire would make sense for Russia, adding - without further details - that there is a "lot of downside" for Russia as well.

"We have a very complex situation solved on one side. Pretty much solved. We've also discussed land and other things that go with it," Trump added. "We know the areas of land we're talking about, whether it's pull back or not pull back."

To pressure Russia, Trump said that he "can do things financially".

"That would be very bad for Russia," he said. "I don't want to do that because I want to get peace."

The meeting in Jeddah was the first between US and Ukrainian officials since a 28 February meeting between Zelensky, Trump and Vice-President JD Vance descended into a shouting match and, ultimately, a pause in US military assistance and intelligence sharing.

The pause was lifted following the meeting in Jeddah, and Trump said that he believes that the "difficult" Ukrainian side and Zelensky now want peace.

Even as negotiations over a potential ceasefire are ongoing, fighting has raged in Ukraine.

Russian drones and missiles reportedly struck targets in Kryvyy Rih - Zelensky's hometown - overnight, as well as in the port city of Odesa, Dnipro and Kharkiv.

Clashes also continued in Russia's Kursk region, where Peskov said Russian troops were "successfully advancing" and recapturing areas held by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian troops invaded the region of western Russia that borders Ukraine, in a surprise attack in August last year. At its peak, Ukraine claimed to have captured 100 towns and villages - but since then, Russia has retaken most of that territory.

Russian media report that Putin ordered the military to "fully liberate" the region during the visit. He is yet to comment on the ceasefire proposal agreed by Ukraine and the US on Tuesday.

The head of Ukraine's military, Oleksandr Syrsky, also indicated on Wednesday that some of its troops were withdrawing from Kursk. In a post on Telegram, he said: "In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers."