Ukraine war to end? After Zelensky, Putin orders 72-hour pause in Kyiv strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour suspension of strikes on Kyiv as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner seek to revive stalled negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The pause will begin at midnight, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Tass news agency on Saturday. He said the decision was linked to preparations for Witkoff and Kushner’s planned visit to Kyiv, which Ukrainian officials said would take place on Sunday.

“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Peskov said.

The announcement came as Russia and Ukraine continued an intense exchange of aerial attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said Kyiv would halt airstrikes during the US envoys’ visit and urged Moscow to do the same.

Zelensky had proposed ceasefire with Russia

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday had proposed a temporary ceasefire with Russia.

"There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must mirror this by ensuring silence without its air strikes for the time needed to hold these negotiations and resolve the logistical issues associated with this American visit," Zelensky said, proposing the ceasefire.

He said that Ukraine cares about the envoys and "not Russia", adding that the country wants "real options" to bring an end to the war that has been continuing for four-and-a-half years.

"We'll see what proposals Steve and Jared have and what Moscow will say to them," Zelensky wrote.

Witkoff, Kushner arrive in Moscow for Ukraine peace talks

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday as Washington attempts to restart diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, now in its fifth year.

Peskov confirmed that the two US envoys would meet Putin but said there was “no talk of new ideas” to end the war.

The delegation was met at the Moscow airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Tass reported. Dmitriev posted photographs of the meeting on social media with the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.”

The latest trip follows the envoys’ previous known visit to Moscow in January, when they met Putin at the Kremlin. Neither had previously visited Kyiv.

Russia, Ukraine intensify aerial attacks

The diplomatic push comes as Russian and Ukrainian attacks have intensified, with Russian forces recently increasing bombardments of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

On Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service, known as the SBU, in Kyiv. The agency is involved in Ukraine’s long-range operations against targets inside Russia.

Ukraine has used long-range drones and missiles against Russian military facilities, oil refineries and other infrastructure as it seeks to disrupt Moscow’s war effort.

Fighting has also continued along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line, where neither side has made decisive progress. Russia has increasingly deployed fast-flying, jet-powered drones, while Ukraine continues to face shortages of air-defence systems.

Russian strikes kill five in Ukraine

Russian attacks killed five people and wounded five others at an industrial facility in Ukraine’s southern Dnipropetrovsk region, local military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha said.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had struck two metallurgical plants in the region, describing them as suppliers to Ukraine’s military production.

Elsewhere, Russian attacks wounded two people in the Kyiv region and damaged residential buildings. Drone strikes also damaged a shopping centre in the Mykolaiv region, injuring a 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 167 attack drones overnight, including Shahed-type and jet-powered drones, along with ballistic missiles. Ukrainian air defences shot down or suppressed 128 drones.

Ukrainian attacks, meanwhile, wounded three people, including a 14-year-old girl, in Russia’s Belgorod region, Russian officials said. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had destroyed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight.

(With agency inputs)