Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed a temporary halt to strikes on Kyiv for 72 hours, the Kremlin announced on Saturday. This decision coincided with the arrival of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow to revive efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The pause in strikes on Kyiv was ordered by Putin starting from midnight, as confirmed by presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to Russia’s Tass news agency. The temporary ceasefire was linked to the upcoming visit of Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv on Sunday, as announced by the Ukrainian capital.
With both sides escalating aerial attacks, more than four and a half years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared a cessation of airstrikes during the envoys’ visit and urged Moscow to do the same.
The U.S. envoys’ visit comes amid a renewed focus on ending the conflict that has been ongoing for five years, with recent attention diverted to the U.S. conflict with Iran. The last reported visit of Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow was in January when they met Putin at the Kremlin, with no prior visits to Kyiv.
Upon their arrival in Moscow, the American envoys were greeted at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, as reported by Tass. Dmitriev shared photos of the meeting with the U.S. delegation, captioning it as “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.”
As peace efforts remain stalled, Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv and other cities, taking advantage of Ukraine’s limited air defense systems. Recent strikes by Ukraine have targeted Russian military installations, oil refineries, and e-commerce centers, aiming to disrupt the Kremlin’s war efforts and economy.
The ongoing air war between Russia and Ukraine has heightened, with troops facing challenges in advancing along the 1,250-kilometer front line. Russia has utilized fast-flying drones, and the sound of air-raid sirens has become a daily occurrence in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy highlighted Russian strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil airports, linking them to the planned U.S. visit in a social media post on Saturday. He emphasized that the attacks were in response to discussions and preparations for the U.S. delegation’s potential use of aircraft to travel to Ukraine.
In a separate incident, Russian attacks resulted in five fatalities and five injuries at an industrial site in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region. The victims were identified as employees at the facility, including a locksmith, electrician, plumber, and machinist.
Furthermore, Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported strikes on metallurgical plants in the region, deemed significant suppliers of metal products for Ukraine’s military production. Additional attacks in the Kyiv region caused injuries and extensive property damage, with emergency crews facing challenges due to ongoing threats of strikes.
Ukraine’s air force reported Russian ballistic missile launches and the deployment of numerous attack drones, with Ukrainian defenses successfully intercepting a significant number of drones. Meanwhile, Ukrainian attacks in Russia’s border region of Belgorod resulted in injuries, with Russia’s Defence Ministry claiming to have downed Ukrainian drones.
The situation continues to escalate, with both sides engaged in military actions amid diplomatic efforts to address the conflict.
