After Zelensky, Putin orders 3-day pause in strikes as US envoys arrive in Moscow for Ukraine talks
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "After Zelensky, Putin orders 3-day pause in strikes as US envoys arrive in Moscow for Ukraine talks")
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photograph: (AFP)
Putin has ordered a three-day pause on strikes against Kyiv as Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow with a proposal aimed at advancing efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to halt strikes against Kyiv for three days as US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow for talks on the Ukraine war.
"The Russian president and commander in chief... has given the order not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight tonight," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS.
The Kremlin said it would brief the media after Putin meets with the two US representatives.
The order to suspend strikes on Kyiv came as Russia prepared for the arrival of the American delegation.
US envoys arrive in Moscow
Witkoff and Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday as Washington stepped up efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has entered its fifth year.
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Two people familiar with the visit told Reuters that Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev received the US representatives at the airport.
The latest development follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for a temporary ceasefire while the US representatives travel between Moscow and Kyiv.
“There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire, without its own airstrikes, for the duration needed to conduct these talks,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
However, Zelensky on Saturday accused Russia of carrying out strikes on two Kyiv airports overnight in an attempt to disrupt the diplomatic effort.
“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,” Zelensky said on X.
He added that Ukraine would pose “no threats to diplomacy” and stressed that Kyiv remained interested in advancing peace efforts.
“Ukraine is interested in bringing peace closer. Russia will be held accountable for what it does,” he said.
Also Read: Russia trying to derail Trump’s peace push? Zelensky accuses Moscow after strikes on Kyiv airports
Trump sends envoys with peace proposal
US President Donald Trump said on Friday, September 4, that he had sent Kushner and Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv with a proposal aimed at ending the Ukraine war.
“They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” Trump told reporters when asked about the weekend trip.
Trump did not disclose the details of the proposal. He also did not say whether the plan would require Ukraine to surrender territory, a possibility he has previously raised.
However, Trump said the United States had “an idea for peace” and expressed hope that his representatives could make progress.
“I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it,” Trump said.
The Moscow talks could provide a fresh opportunity for Washington to push Russia and Ukraine towards a temporary ceasefire and broader negotiations aimed at ending the war.
