How can Russia evade a ceasefire agreement which the U.S. says will show whether the Kremlin is serious about ending the war against Ukraine.

By Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin's top foreign policy aide said on Thursday he had told Washington that a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States to pause the war in Ukraine would simply give Kyiv's forces a much-needed battlefield respite.

Following the request from Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin has said that he will spare lives of Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region if Kyiv orders them lay their arms.

Talks in Moscow with a U.S. special envoy indicated that Russia was keen to keep negotiating with the United States over Ukraine.