RismadarVoice Reporters
September 5, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day suspension of attacks on Kyiv as United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Kremlin said the pause would take effect from midnight on Saturday and last through Monday. However, it clarified that the suspension applies specifically to Kyiv and not other parts of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision was linked to the planned engagement between the US delegation and Ukrainian officials.
“This is connected with the preparation for and conduct of the Americans’ contacts in Kyiv,” Peskov said.
Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday. Russian state media reported that Putin was expected to meet the two American representatives later in the day.
The delegation is expected to proceed to Kyiv after its Moscow visit, marking Witkoff and Kushner’s first planned trip to the Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with the two US envoys and confirmed that Kyiv was prepared to reciprocate by suspending attacks on Moscow.
Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from striking Moscow from Saturday through Monday, while expecting Russia to observe a similar arrangement concerning Kyiv.
“We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation,” he said.
Russian strikes hit airports
The announcement came amid continued Russian attacks across Ukraine.
Zelensky said earlier on Saturday that Russian missiles had struck two airports near Kyiv, including Boryspil airport, which previously handled international flights.
He suggested the attacks could be connected to preparations for the US delegation’s planned arrival in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president said Russia’s recent attacks had highlighted the country’s vulnerability, particularly amid shortages of air-defence interceptors needed to counter ballistic missiles.
Russia has also continued attacks elsewhere in Ukraine, including strikes on Black Sea ports and a factory in the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
The latest developments followed a Russian drone attack on Friday that struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, in central Kyiv.
Trump hopeful, Kremlin cautious
Trump has described Witkoff and Kushner as effective negotiators and said they were travelling with a proposal intended to bring the conflict to an end.
“They’re bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” Trump said on Friday, adding that he believed there could be a good chance of reaching an agreement.
The Kremlin, however, appeared less optimistic about the prospects for an immediate breakthrough.
Peskov said Trump had already indicated that the US delegation was not carrying new ideas for resolving the conflict.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also warned that Washington would need to consider what Moscow described as the “realities on the ground” in Ukraine.
Ryabkov told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency that the battlefield situation was changing in a manner unfavourable to Kyiv, suggesting that this should be taken into account during negotiations.
Russian forces have made advances in parts of eastern Ukraine in recent months, particularly around strategically important towns in the Donetsk region.
Zelensky, meanwhile, said Kyiv remained committed to pursuing a constructive engagement with the American delegation.
“Our goal is to have a visit and negotiations with the American side that are as constructive and substantive as possible,” he said, stressing the need to explore realistic options for ending the war.
