US Envoys Arrive in Moscow with Peace Plan as Putin Orders Pause on Kyiv Strikes

United States special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday to present a new diplomatic initiative from President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. In response to the arrival, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 72-hour suspension of military strikes on Kyiv, while the American delegation prepares to travel onward to the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.

The arrival of Witkoff and Kushner marks their first return to Moscow since January, when they met Putin at the Kremlin. The envoys have never previously visited Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he expects to receive them. Washington’s diplomatic push to end the conflict has lost momentum over the past six months while US attention was diverted to its war with Iran.

Diplomatic Mission to Moscow and Kyiv

Russian state news agency Tass reported that the American representatives were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who published images of the delegation’s arrival. Trump stated prior to the visit that the representatives carry a specific “proposal to end the war” in Ukraine.

Ahead of the visit, Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces would halt airstrikes during the diplomatic delegation’s trip and urged Moscow to do the same. Following overnight Russian strikes that damaged airports in Kyiv and Boryspil, Zelensky suggested the attacks were targeted at preparations for the US delegation’s air travel, adding that “no threats to diplomacy” would come from Ukrainian operations.

Air Warfare and Pause in Strikes

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Interfax, confirmed that Putin ordered the three-day halt on strikes against Kyiv starting Saturday to accommodate the diplomatic visit. The temporary pause comes amidst heightened aerial warfare across Ukraine, driven by Ukraine’s shortage of air defense systems and slow ground movement along the 1,250-kilometer front line.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched ballistic missiles from its Rostov and Voronezh regions alongside 167 attack drones overnight. The deployment included jet-powered Shahed drones, Geran models, and decoys, with Ukrainian air defense units destroying or neutralizing 128 of the incoming craft.

Casualties and Regional Impacts

Despite the halt on Kyiv, strikes caused casualties and property damage across other regions of Ukraine. In the southern Dnipropetrovsk region, five industrial employees were killed and five others wounded during missile strikes on two metallurgical plants, according to regional military administrator Oleksandr Hanzha. Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed targeting two metallurgical facilities in the region, characterizing them as key suppliers to Ukraine’s military sector.

In the Kyiv region, regional military head Tymur Tkachenko reported two people injured after a strike ignited a fire that partially destroyed a nine-story residential building in the Boryspil district. Separately, drone strikes on a commercial site in the southern Mykolaiv region wounded two people and sparked fires that repeatedly disrupted emergency response efforts.

Background

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year, characterized by heavy aerial bombardments and prolonged ground battles along the eastern and southern fronts. US-led peace efforts had stalled in recent months as Washington focused diplomatic and military resources on conflict involving Iran.