Putin orders 3-day pause in strikes against Kyiv as US delegation arrives in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces not to launch strikes against Kyiv for three days as US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visit Moscow for talks on the war in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.Putin is due to hold talks with Witkoff and Kushner on Saturday, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Peskov said.The Kremlin announced it will brief the media after the Russian leader's discussions with the US special representatives.The order to halt strikes on Kyiv was issued in connection with preparations for the arrival of the American delegation.US envoys arrive in MoscowWitkoff and Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday for talks aimed at reviving efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is now in its fifth year. Two people familiar with the visit told Reuters that the US envoys were met at the airport by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev.A witness saw a motorcade carrying Witkoff, Kushner and Dmitriev leave Moscow’s governmental airport and head towards the city.Dmitriev has taken part in the US negotiators’ previous meetings with Putin and remained in contact with them during a pause in their visits to Russia.He also played a role in negotiating US sanction waivers for Russian oil this year.US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington had a fresh concrete proposal aimed at ending the war, but did not provide details.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Ukraine on Sunday after their Moscow visit.Kyiv attacks intensified before visitThe latest development comes after an escalation in long-range attacks by both Russia and Ukraine.Russian attacks killed five people in Ukraine overnight.Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine would halt airstrikes during the US envoys’ visit and urged Moscow to do the same. Moscow had not publicly responded to that proposal before Putin’s order.Zelenskyy also said Russia had carried out overnight strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil international airports ahead of the planned US visit to Ukraine.“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post.He added that Ukraine would adjust its operations regarding Russian airspace, which he said had become dangerous because of Ukrainian drones and missiles.A Russian drone also struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, in Kyiv on Friday. The strike came during a period of heavy Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital.Russia and Ukraine remain far apartThe US push to end the fighting has lost momentum, while Russia and Ukraine remain divided over the terms of a potential settlement.The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin’s position, set out in a speech two years ago, remained “unshakeable”. That position includes a demand that Ukraine cede the entire territory of four regions claimed by Russia and abandon its plan to join Nato.The front line, stretching about 1,250 kilometres (775 miles), has remained largely static, with Russia making gradual gains in its attempt to take the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region.At the same time, both sides have intensified attacks deep inside each other’s territory since their last peace talks in February.Ukraine has targeted Russian oil refineries and other facilities with long-range drone strikes, while Russia has continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.The latest US diplomatic effort comes with Witkoff and Kushner expected to hold talks with Putin in Moscow on Saturday before travelling to Kyiv on Sunday.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.