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.

U.S. officials arrived in Moscow discuss the proposed 30-day pause in fighting between Ukraine and Russia, but Russia is wary of the deal.

Russia says it will discuss the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but Vladimir Putin has signaled he seeks to expel the remnants of Ukrainian forces from Kursk.

Kyiv has called on Moscow to respond to the proposed ceasefire, which it has agreed to, but the Kremlin says it will wait to be briefed by US officials.

The diplomatic effort coincided with a Russian claim that its troops have driven the Ukrainian army out of a key town in Russia's Kursk border region.

Russia said it expelled Ukrainian troops from a key town in the Kursk region ahead of talks with the US, bringing President Vladimir Putin closer to his goal of completely dislodging Kyiv’s forces from his country.