Putin orders halt in strikes on Kyiv for 3 days

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day suspension of all Russian attacks on Kyiv following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire, the Kremlin announced on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “The President of Russia and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has today ordered that no attacks be carried out on Kyiv for three consecutive days from midnight.”

The temporary pause comes as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner visit Moscow with a new peace proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the two envoys would travel to Kyiv on Sunday after holding talks with Russian officials.

Zelenskyy proposed a temporary ceasefire to Russia on Friday, August 4. Ukrainian forces would not conduct aerial attacks during the US envoys’ visit and throughout the talks, Zelenskyy said, while Russia should similarly halt air strikes on Kyiv.

“We are considering the safety of the US envoys, not Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “We want realistic options to end this four-and-a-half-year war.”

“What Steve and Jared bring, and what response Moscow gives them, is now what remains to be seen,” Zelenskyy added.

US-mediated peace efforts have made little progress in recent months. Diplomatic momentum on Ukraine had slowed as the United States remained occupied with the Iran war for an extended period.

Russia and Ukraine have recently intensified drone and missile attacks against each other. A Russian drone strike damaged the headquarters of Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, in Kyiv on Friday.

Russia had carried out heavy attacks on the Ukrainian capital for several consecutive days before the latest strike.

The Kremlin has maintained its previous position, demanding that Ukraine cede four territories claimed by Russia and abandon plans to join NATO. Kyiv has rejected those conditions from the outset.