Russian forces have recaptured Sudzha, the largest town that Ukraine once occupied in the Kursk region, according to Moscow, threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining chip amid pressure to negotiate an end to the war.

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

Russian forces have retaken the small town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk border region from Ukrainian troops, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday. The ministry said the settlements of Melovoi and Podol had also been liberated.