HighLights
  1. Putin orders three-day halt on Kyiv air strikes.
  2. Decision follows Zelenskyy's proposed temporary ceasefire.
  3. US envoys Witkoff, Kushner visit Moscow for peace.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday ordered a three-day halt to strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow with a peace proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "The Russian president and commander in chief... has given the order not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight tonight."

ALSO READ: 'Won't Strike From Our Side': Ukraine Proposes Ceasefire With Russia Ahead Of US Envoys' Moscow-Kyiv Visit

Ukraine Proposes Ceasefire With Russia

The pause comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a temporary ceasefire with Russia.

"There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must mirror this by ensuring silence without its air strikes for the time needed to hold these negotiations and resolve the logistical issues associated with this American visit," Zelensky said.

Zelensky Accuses Russia Of Targeting Kyiv Airports

Earlier, Zelensky stated that Russian forces had struck airports in Kyiv and nearby Boryspil ahead of the visit by US envoys.

"Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the U.S. side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine and land at Kyiv Airport or Boryspil Airport. Russian-Iranian Shaheds (drones) in response to American diplomacy," he said on Telegram.

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While Ukraine's airspace has remained closed since the February 2022 invasion, officials had been discussing the possibility of the envoys travelling by plane for their visit to Kyiv on Sunday.

Push To End the War

Zelensky emphasised that Ukraine cares about the safety of the American envoys and "not Russia," adding that Kyiv wants "real options" to bring an end to the four-and-a-half-year war.

"We'll see what proposals Steve and Jared have and what Moscow will say to them," Zelensky added.

Washington's push to end the fighting, now in its "fifth year," had previously lost momentum while US attention shifted over the last six months to "its war with Iran". While Witkoff and Kushner last met Putin in the Kremlin in January and have "never visited Kyiv," Zelensky confirmed he was expecting the US representatives them in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.

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