Russia orders three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv as US envoys land in Moscow
President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to pause strikes on Kyiv for three days as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov told Russia's Tass news agency that Putin had issued the order in response to a Ukrainian pledge to halt its own strikes during the visit. The pause began at midnight local time, he said, and was tied to preparations for the envoys' travel to Kyiv the following day.
Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukraine would not conduct air strikes for the period needed for the US officials' visit. He said the envoys planned to travel to Ukraine on Sunday, in what would be their first visit since the war began.
Envoys' expectations
Witkoff and Kushner landed in Moscow on Saturday and are expected to meet Putin, according to Peskov. People close to the Kremlin, cited by Livemint, said expectations for the visit were extremely low and that previous trips had failed to achieve progress. They said Moscow believes it has the military advantage and would only accept peace on its own terms.
Ukrainians familiar with the thinking in Kyiv were equally pessimistic, noting that the envoys are expected to push ideas Moscow has already rejected, including making the Donbas region an economic free zone.
Overnight attacks
Zelenskyy said the Russian strikes on Kyiv and nearby Boryspil airports were "demonstrative" and linked to discussions about the possibility of the US aircraft carrying the envoys landing in Ukraine.
Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russian forces fired Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles alongside 167 attack drones overnight.
Reporting
This article draws on reporting by ABC Australia and Livemint.