Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days beginning “at midnight today,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sept. 5, according to Russian state media.Peskov did not clarify whether “today” meant Sept. 5 or Sept. 6.Overnight, Russian forces launched multiple attacks across Ukraine, including strikes on Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.Peskov said the temporary halt was linked to preparations for the Kyiv visit of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The visit is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest push to negotiate an end to Russia's war against Ukraine.Shortly afterward, following a phone call with the U.S. side, President Zelensky said Ukraine was also prepared to refrain from strikes on Moscow, effective immediately through the end of Sept. 7."From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a halt in aerial strikes on the cities involved in the negotiating process," Zelensky said on Telegram at 5:21 p.m. local time.Zelensky added that the plan for diplomatic meetings in Kyiv on Sept. 6 had been approved and that Ukraine was awaiting Witkoff and Kushner for what he called a "substantive conversation."Witkoff and Kushner landed in Moscow earlier on Sept. 5 and are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sept. 6.The announcement came after Ukraine had proposed a broader pause in hostilities from Sept. 5-8 ahead of the diplomatic talks. Russia did not initially agree to the proposal and continued launching attacks against Ukraine on Sept. 5.As part of the attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had deliberately targeted airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight, describing the strikes as a response to discussions about the possibility of the U.S. envoys arriving in Ukraine by plane.Zelensky said Ukraine would not pose any threat to the diplomatic process, but added that Kyiv was preparing a response to Russia's attacks beginning next week.Since late August, Russia has intensified its aerial campaign against Kyiv and the surrounding region, repeatedly sending drones toward the capital with only brief pauses between attacks and triggering near-constant air raid alerts.The city recorded 13 air raid alerts on Aug. 27 alone, the highest daily number since the start of the full-scale invasion.At least 53 people have been killed and 112 injured in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast since Aug. 27.