Putin pauses strikes on Kiev

The decision was announced amid the visit of US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day hiatus in strikes on Kiev ahead of talks with senior US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who arrived in Moscow earlier on Saturday.

The negotiations are expected to focus on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

Witkoff and Kushner are slated to visit Kiev after their meetings in Moscow, which include talks with Putin.

Speaking on Saturday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “Russian president [and] commander-in-chief Putin has ordered [the armed forces] not to conduct strikes on Kiev for three days starting from midnight today.” He added that the decision was intended to allow Witkoff and Kushner to hold negotiations with Ukrainian officials in the country’s capital.

Read more Trump envoys in Moscow: Where do peace talks stand? Several Ukrainian media outlets carried reports earlier in the day, saying that Kiev’s forces had been instructed to hold their fire starting from Saturday midnight until Tuesday.

Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne subsequently quoted Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff Kirill Budanov as saying that Ukraine had sent a truce proposal to Russia calling for the temporary cessation of hostilities along the front line, as well as all air strikes.

However, Moscow did not respond, according to Budanov.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that Witkoff and Kushner were “bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” without elaborating on the specifics.

Since the start of Trump’s second term in office in early 2025, the two negotiators have repeatedly visited Moscow as part of the US president’s efforts to mediate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

However, despite a glimmer of hope following last year’s meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, the diplomatic back-and-forth has since stalled as neither Russia nor Ukraine will compromise on key issues.

Still, speaking on Thursday, the Russian president praised Kushner’s and Witkoff’s work, saying that the US negotiators are “always welcome guests here, and we work with them with pleasure.”