Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day pause in strikes on Kiev ahead of a visit by U.S. envoys carrying a new proposal to end the war, the Kremlin said on Sept. 5.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the order was linked to preparations for the American delegation’s visit and its meetings in the Ukrainian capital.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Sept. 5. Peskov confirmed that Putin would receive them before their expected visit to Kiev on Sept. 6 for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Sept. 4.
Trump gave no details of the proposal, including whether it would involve territorial concessions by Ukraine.
Zelensky had earlier said Ukraine would refrain from airstrikes during the envoys’ visit and called on Russia to reciprocate for the duration of the talks and related travel.
The trip will be Witkoff and Kushner’s first visit to Kiev since Trump returned to office in 2025. They have traveled to Moscow several times during earlier diplomatic efforts.
Russian attacks continued before the Kremlin’s announcement.
A strike on Kamianske in central Ukraine killed five people and wounded five on Sept. 5, regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.
A day earlier, a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU security service in central Kiev. Zelensky said the attack targeted the acting chief’s office and was the first strike on the headquarters since the war began.
