Putin orders three-day halt to attacks on Kyiv as US envoys arrive

Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt to attacks on Kyiv as two US presidential envoys travel between Moscow and Kyiv, according to the Kremlin. The pause began at midnight and is linked to preparations for the envoys’ contacts in Kyiv, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov also confirmed that Kyiv had informed Moscow of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to suspend attacks on Russia while Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were present in the two countries. Washington had demanded security guarantees from both sides, although the Kremlin initially denied that an agreement had been reached with Ukraine.

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Russia must do the same

“Russia must do the same,” Zelenskyy said in his traditional address, adding that his goal was for the visit and talks with the US side to be as constructive and substantive as possible. Earlier in the week, he had threatened to make air communications in Russia “impossible” and urged Western foreign ministries and foreign airlines to respond accordingly.

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Impossible

The temporary halt follows weeks of escalation. Kyiv has damaged numerous refineries and e-commerce warehouses in Russia’s rear areas, while Moscow has intensified missile attacks on Kyiv and Black Sea ports. The escalation has coincided with a stalled peace process.

Putin was due to receive both mediators in Moscow. Their visit came after US President Donald Trump said they were carrying a proposal to end the war. Putin has remained open to meeting Witkoff and Kushner but has rejected a possible three-way summit with the United States and Ukraine unless it would be used to sign a final peace agreement. Russian-Ukrainian negotiations have been stalled since February, when the US-Israeli military operation against Iran began.

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Carry with them a proposal to end the war. Because I ended eight wars.