Russia to pause strikes on Kyiv for three days amid Ukraine peace talks

Russia says it will stop strikes on Kyiv for three days as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow for peace negotiations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin ordered the pause to begin at midnight on Saturday.

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He has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today.

The decision coincides with talks led by the two envoys, who arrived in Moscow and were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. US President Donald Trump said the pair were traveling to Moscow and Kyiv with a proposal to end the war, but he did not disclose details of the plan, including whether it would involve Ukraine ceding territory to Russia. “We have an idea for peace,” Trump said.

Zelenskyy had already committed to pausing airstrikes for the talks. He said Ukraine would ensure the safe arrival of the American negotiators and added, “We are concerned about their safety, not about Russia.”

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They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war.

The pause comes after a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, in Kyiv on Friday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack “a major escalation” and said it showed Moscow’s rejection of diplomacy. Zelenskyy said he had ordered “an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike.”

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We have an idea for peace.

Ukraine has also carried out repeated drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and the retail company Wildberries. The competing attacks underline the tension surrounding the diplomatic effort, even as both sides discuss a temporary halt to strikes during the negotiations.

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A major escalation