Putin 72-Hour Pause in Kyiv Comes as US Pushes for Ukraine Peace Deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive for talks aimed at reviving efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The temporary pause begins at midnight and comes during a diplomatic mission by the two US representatives. They arrived in Moscow on Saturday and are expected to meet Putin before travelling to Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Putin 72-hour pause follows Zelenskyy’s call for Russia to stop air attacks while the US delegation works on a potential diplomatic breakthrough. Ukraine has indicated that it wants meaningful negotiations, while Russia has continued to push for a settlement that addresses its demands.
The pause does not amount to a wider ceasefire or peace agreement. Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues in other areas, with both sides still carrying out attacks.
The US delegation is reportedly carrying a proposal intended to move negotiations forward. However, the full details of the proposal have not been publicly released.
The upcoming meetings could provide an important test of whether Washington can bring Moscow and Kyiv closer to negotiations. For now, the 72-hour pause offers only a limited break from attacks on Kyiv.
The focus will now shift to the meetings between the US envoys, Putin and Zelenskyy and whether they can produce concrete progress toward ending the conflict.
