- Russia paused Kyiv strikes for US-led peace negotiations.
- US envoys Kushner, Witkoff arrived Moscow, met Putin.
- Negotiators planned Sunday visit to Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru, Wesley Dockery, Dmytro Hubenko
Russia will pause strikes against Kyiv for three days, the Kremlin said on Saturday, coinciding with peace negotiations led by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmirty Peskov told state media.
It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy already committed to pausing airstrikes for the talks.
“As with previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We are concerned about their safety, not about Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
Kushner, Witkoff arrive in Moscow
The US envoys Kushner and Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Saturday. They were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Kushner and Witkoff met with Putin later on Saturday evening.
“The situation is of course not simple,” Putin told the US officials in footage aired on Russian state media.
US President Donald Trump did not provide any details on the potential plan, including whether it involved Ukraine giving territory to Russia as he has previously suggested. Instead, he said, “We have an idea for peace.”
US envoys to visit Kyiv next
Zelenskyy announced earlier on Friday that Kushner and Witkoff would visit Ukraine on Sunday following talks in Moscow.
Recent media reports have questioned whether the pair would indeed travel to Ukraine. Despite trips to Moscow to meet with Russian officials, the US envoys have not visited Kyiv since Trump’s reelection last year.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy said he had been in contact with Kushner and Witkoff.
“I have just spoken with the US president’s envoys,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
“From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process.”
Trump had promised to end the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, on his first day back in office, but has more recently said that the feat was more complicated than expected. In the past, he has blamed Ukraine for the Russian invasion and a “personality problem” between the countries’ leaders for the continued fighting.
Drone strikes continue
Meanwhile, a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s domestic security service (SBU) in Kyiv on Friday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike “a major escalation” of the war.
“Moscow launched this strike during a renewed push for peace — laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy,” he wrote on X.
Zelenskyy said he ordered “an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike.”
Ukraine has also launched repeated drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and the retail giant Wildberries.
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Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.
