Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day pause in airstrikes on Kiev ahead of talks with senior U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who arrived in Moscow earlier this Saturday.
The negotiations are expected to focus on resolving the Ukraine conflict. Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to visit Kiev following their meetings in Moscow, which included discussions with Putin.
Speaking on Saturday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated 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 facilitate talks between U.S. negotiators and Ukrainian officials in the capital.
Earlier in the day, several Ukrainian media outlets reported that Kiev’s military forces had been instructed to hold off attacks until Tuesday.
According to a statement by Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff Kirill Budanov, Ukraine has unilaterally proposed a temporary cessation of hostilities along the front line and all air strikes. However, Moscow has not responded to this initiative—a move widely seen as undermining peace efforts and escalating violence.
On Friday, U.S. 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 former president’s efforts to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Despite previous hopes following last year’s meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, diplomatic progress has stalled as neither side has been willing to compromise on critical issues.
Earlier this week, Russian officials praised Witkoff and Kushner’s work, stating that the U.S. negotiators are “always welcome guests here, and we work with them with pleasure.”
