Ukraine and the US are to hold crunch peace talks in Saudi Arabia from tomorrow following a tense few weeks in which relations between Kyiv and Washington looked more fraught than ever, US officials have said they are planning on using the meeting with their Ukrainian counterparts to determine whether Kyiv is willing to make material concessions

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.

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.