Russian President, Vladimir Putin, ordered a three-day suspension of attacks against Kyiv, coinciding with the visit to Russia and Ukraine of White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are seeking to reactivate negotiations to end the war.
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“The Russian president, the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, ordered from midnight today and for three days not to launch attacks against Kyiv. This is related to the preparations for the contacts of the US envoys in Kyiv,” reported the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.
The decision came after the government of Volodymyr Zelensky informed Moscow that Ukraine would suspend its attacks on Russian territory while Witkoff and Kushner remain in both countries.
“Russia must do the same (…) Our goal is for the visit and negotiations with the US side to be as constructive and substantial as possible,” Zelensky had stated.
Washington had asked both sides for security guarantees for the movement of its envoys. Putin’s announcement marks a shift from the position initially expressed by the Kremlin, which on Friday had ruled out an agreement with Kyiv to establish a moratorium on bombings.
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Representatives of US President Donald Trump arrived in Moscow this Saturday and will be received by Putin.
This is their first visit to the Russian capital since January and, subsequently, they plan to travel to Kyiv, a city neither of them had previously visited in the context of these efforts.
Trump assured that his envoys “bring with them a proposal to end the war,” while the Kremlin called for not anticipating the results of the talks.
Putin has shown willingness to receive both negotiators, although so far he has rejected both a prolonged ceasefire and a possible tripartite summit with the United States and Ukraine, unless it is to finalize a definitive agreement.
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