3-Day Kyiv Strike Pause Ordered as US Envoys Arrive for Peace Talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day pause in military strikes on Kyiv starting at midnight as United States diplomatic envoys arrived in Moscow ahead of planned peace talks. The temporary halt stops Russian air operations against the Ukrainian capital while US special negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff travel onward to meet officials in Kyiv to discuss proposals to end the four-year war.
Diplomatic push follows Moscow talks and fresh strikes across Dnipro
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin issued the command to Russia’s military leadership as Kushner and Witkoff prepared to depart the Russian capital. The trip marks the first joint diplomatic mission to Kyiv for Witkoff and Kushner since US President Donald Trump returned to office.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of attempting to disrupt the diplomatic visit prior to the pause, pointing to overnight military strikes targeting Kyiv‘s two main airports and an attack on a civilian target in the Dnipro region that killed five people.
The diplomatic push marks Washington’s latest attempt to break a stalemate in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II following previous rival ceasefire declarations around Russia’s Victory Day commemorations.
