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.

Russia said on Thursday there was no doubt that its troops would soon complete the task of clearing out Ukrainian forces from Russia's Kursk region where they have held a pocket of territory for more than seven months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the region for the first time since Kyiv’s lightning incursion and as peace talks gain steam.