India, March 13 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's top foreign policy aide said on Thursday that 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.Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to Washington who speaks for Putin on major foreign policy issues, told state television that he had spoken to Waltz on Wednesday to outline Russia's position on the ceasefire.

"I stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more," Ushakov was quoted by Reuters as saying.ALSO READ: Marco Rubio says US will have contact with Russia over Ukraine: 'If they say no.'

"Our goal is ...