Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian military to halt strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv for a period of three days beginning at midnight on Saturday, Sept. 5, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced. The order coincides with the arrival of US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on Saturday for diplomatic discussions regarding the war in Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The American delegation landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport aboard a business jet, where they were met by Russian special representative Kirill Dmitriev, according to Russian media reports. Peskov’s statement follows earlier remarks by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, who speculated that Moscow would likely refrain from targeting Kyiv during the American negotiators’ stay in the region.
Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers @SteveWitkoff and @jaredkushner! 🕊️https://t.co/RAQt2CebVh pic.twitter.com/nrzs3mGnGw— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) September 5, 2026
Envoys prepare for Kyiv visit amid peace proposal Witkoff and Kushner are expected to hold talks with Russian officials in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv on Sunday, Sept. 6, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The diplomatic mission marks the first major effort to restart negotiations since trilateral discussions in Geneva stalled in mid-February 2026. US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that he dispatched the two negotiators with a specific proposal aimed at ending the war. Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump cited deep personal animosity between Zelensky and Putin as a principal obstacle to peace, stating that the two leaders “really hate each other.” Trump also asserted, without providing independent verification, that both sides suffered a combined 32,000 casualties over the past week.
