Putin Orders Pause in Strikes on Ukraine as US Envoys Arrive, Raising Hopes

The Kremlin said on Saturday that President Vladimir Putin had ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv, coinciding with the arrival in Moscow of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as part of efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today," presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russia's Tass news agency. Peskov acknowledged that the move was linked to preparations for Witkoff and Kushner's planned visit to the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian officials said the US envoys would visit Kyiv on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

Kushner and Witkoff would also meet Putin during their visit, Peskov said, while adding that there was "no talk of new ideas" to end the conflict.

The US envoys' trip comes amid an escalation in aerial attacks by both sides, with no sign that the protracted conflict is easing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that Ukraine would halt airstrikes to help facilitate the envoys' visit. He also urged Moscow to reciprocate.

Washington has been pushing to end the conflict, now in its fifth year. Momentum faded after US attention shifted to its conflict with Iran in the Middle East, which began in late February.

Witkoff and Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, visited Moscow in January. The envoys met Putin at the Kremlin but did not extend their trip to Kyiv.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the US envoys at the airport in Moscow, according to the Tass report. Dmitriev shared photos of the meeting with the caption, "Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers."

It remains unclear whether the envoys are carrying a message from Trump, as neither the US administration nor the Kremlin has offered any indication.

Russia has recently intensified its attacks on Ukraine. The AP report said Kyiv and other cities had faced relentless overnight bombardments that in recent weeks began stretching into daylight hours. Moscow is apparently taking advantage of a reported shortage of air defence systems in Ukraine.

On Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service, known as the SBU. The SBU has played a key role in planning deep-strike operations inside Russia that have devastated military facilities, oil refineries and e-commerce hubs.

Ukraine's strategy has been to undermine the Kremlin's war effort and economy while bringing the suffering into people's homes in an effort to fuel resentment among ordinary citizens.

But the conflict's current flashpoint appeared unchanged, with both sides struggling to make progress along the 775-mile front line. Russia has recently relied on intensive air raids against Kyiv, and the brief pause in strikes could fuel hopes that peace efforts are under way.

Originally published on IBTimes