Russia to pause strikes on Kyiv as US peace envoys visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said Ukraine would hold off on strikes while Witkoff and Kushner made the trip, while calling on Moscow to do the same.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his forces to pause strikes on Kyiv while US peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visit Moscow and Kyiv this weekend.

Putin has called for a halt to strikes on the Ukrainian capital for three days, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Interfax. The pause is in place from midnight tonight, he said.

Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday ahead of meetings with officials in Russia and Ukraine this weekend.

The pair come armed with a "proposal to end the war," US President Donald Trump has announced, as the US makes its latest push to break a diplomatic deadlock over the war in Ukraine.

"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it," Trump told reporters on Friday.

The duo is then due to head to Kyiv on Sunday, in what will be their first visits to the city since Trump returned to the White house in January last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the planned visit to Ukraine in a post on X.

"We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end," Zelenskyy wrote. "We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response".

He added that Ukrainian forces would ensure the "normal functioning of Russian airspace" to ensure the envoys could make the trip to Moscow safely.

Zelenskyy had warned airlines and insurers on Tuesday that Russian airspace would "effectively be closing" due to the scale of Ukrainian drone operations making flying unsafe.

But the Ukrainian leader said Ukraine would hold off on strikes while Witkoff and Kushner made the trip, while calling on Moscow to do the same.

"We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit," he wrote on social media.