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

Vladimir Putin told a news conference that he agreed with the idea of a ceasefire, but he immediately spelled out tough conditions that appeared to rule out agreement.

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.

The Kremlin said there are reasons to be optimistic about a settlement to the conflict but that more work needs to be done.

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.

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,

Drones attacked Moscow for the second time in a week with at least one hitting a central area not far from government buildings, as Russian news services reported US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s plane had left the country following talks.

Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow for a second time this week, with city authorities saying early Friday that air defense systems downed four unmanned aircraft near the Russian capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency crews were dispatched to areas where debris from the intercepted drones had fallen.

Ceasefire efforts come at a time when Ukraine is fast losing ground on the battlefield amid a freeze in US military aid and intelligence sharing