Putin orders three-day ceasefire as US launches new mediation attempt in Ukraine war

A new US mediation effort has prompted a brief pause in attacks on Kyiv, but the prospect of a breakthrough remains remote. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with plans to continue to Kyiv and meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The visit has stirred what the article describes as a fragile hope for peace in Russia and Ukraine. Yet few people appear convinced that the initiative will succeed. Moscow and Kyiv, the report says, are trying to maintain a constructive appearance toward US President Donald Trump while preparing to blame the other side if the talks fail.

Trump suggested that personal hostility between Putin and Zelenskyy could obstruct an agreement. “They hate each other,” he said when asked about the negotiations. It remained unclear whether Witkoff and Kushner had brought new proposals.

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They hate each other.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin’s position had not changed. Moscow demands that Ukraine give up the Donbas, which Russian forces largely control, and abandon its bid to join NATO. The Kremlin described those demands as non-negotiable.

Against the backdrop of the US envoys’ visit, Putin ordered a three-day halt to air attacks on Kyiv starting Sunday, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Zelenskyy had also agreed to halt air attacks on Russia. But he said Russian forces had struck Kyiv’s Zhuliany and Boryspil airports overnight. “Russian-Iranian drones as a response to American diplomacy,” he wrote on social media. The article also says Russia has sharply intensified attacks on Kyiv in recent months and struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service on Friday.

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Russian-Iranian drones as a response to American diplomacy.