Putin orders 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv ahead of US peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv from midnight Saturday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks aimed at reviving efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Peskov told Russia's TASS news agency.

Peskov said the decision was linked to preparations for the visit of Witkoff and Kushner, who are expected to travel to Kyiv after their meetings in Moscow as part of a renewed US diplomatic push.

The two envoys arrived in Moscow on Saturday and were expected to meet Russian officials, including Putin, before travelling to the Ukrainian capital. Their visit comes after months of stalled negotiations and renewed efforts by the administration of US President Donald Trump to bring Moscow and Kyiv back towards a possible peace agreement.

The pause announced by Moscow is focused specifically on strikes against Kyiv and does not amount to a broader ceasefire across the Russia-Ukraine battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also called for a temporary halt to airstrikes during the US delegation's visit. He said Ukraine would refrain from carrying out airstrikes against Russia to ensure the safety of the American negotiators and urged Moscow to reciprocate.

The diplomatic moves come amid continued fighting and aerial attacks between Russia and Ukraine. Russian strikes have recently targeted Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, while Ukraine has continued long-range attacks against Russian military and economic infrastructure.

The latest US effort follows previous rounds of diplomacy that failed to produce a lasting ceasefire. Witkoff has travelled to Moscow several times for discussions with Russian officials, while the upcoming visit to Kyiv would mark a significant step in the current diplomatic effort.

US President Donald Trump has said Witkoff and Kushner are travelling with a proposal aimed at ending the war. However, major differences between Russia and Ukraine remain, including over territory and the terms of any potential settlement.

The 72-hour pause is therefore being closely watched as the US envoys attempt to restart negotiations while military hostilities continue elsewhere along the front.