Putin Orders Three-Day Pause on Attacks on Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a temporary halt to military strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine, for three days. The pause takes effect from midnight on Saturday (5/9) local time.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision was taken ahead of the arrival of two United States envoys, namely Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, in Kyiv.
“The President of Russia and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out on Kyiv for three days, starting from midnight today. This is related to the agenda of US talks in Kyiv,” Peskov said.
Earlier on Saturday morning, Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow for intensive talks aimed at pushing for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. After completing their agenda in Moscow, the two are scheduled to depart for Kyiv on Sunday. The visit will be Witkoff and Kushner’s first trip to the Ukrainian capital since the Washington-mediated diplomatic process began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Friday (4/9) that Kyiv would not carry out attacks while Witkoff and Kushner were in Russia. Zelensky also asked Moscow to take a similar step when the two US representatives visited Ukraine.
Witkoff and Kushner have previously travelled to Moscow several times on diplomatic missions. The two also met directly with Putin at the Kremlin on 22 January.
US President Donald Trump said the dispatch of Kushner and Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv was carried out with a concrete proposal that is hoped to help end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Citing Anadolu, peace negotiation efforts between Moscow and Kyiv facilitated by the US previously took place in three rounds earlier this year. The first meeting was held on 23-24 January in Abu Dhabi, followed by a second round on 4-5 February at the same location. The third round then took place on 17-18 February in Geneva.
However, the series of negotiations subsequently stalled and was postponed. Moscow and Kyiv said the dialogue process was hampered because Washington’s attention was divided after the conflict in Iran broke out in late February.
The three-day pause order is an important development amid the latest diplomatic efforts to reopen the Russia-Ukraine negotiation channel. The arrival of Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv is expected to provide momentum to revive the previously stalled negotiation process.