Putin orders a cessation of attacks on kyiv for three days due to the visit of US envoys

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has ordered the attacks against the Ukrainian capital to cease for three days due to the trip to Moscow and kyiv of the White House emissaries, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as reported this Saturday by the Kremlin.

"The Russian president, the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, ordered starting at midnight today and for three days not to launch attacks against kyiv. This is related to the preparations for the contacts of the American (envoys) in kyiv," Dmitri Peskov, presidential spokesman, explained to local agencies.

Peskov also confirmed that kyiv had informed Moscow of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to suspend attacks on Russia during the presence of Witkoff and Kushner in both countries.

Washington had demanded security guarantees from both sides in the conflict, after which the Kremlin initially denied on Friday a possible agreement in this regard with Ukraine.

"Russia must do the same (...) Our goal is for the visit and negotiations with the American side to be as constructive and substantial as possible," Zelensky commented last night in his traditional address to the nation.

Zelensky had this week threatened Russia with making air communications in its territory "impossible", for which he called on Western foreign ministries and foreign airlines to react accordingly.

In recent weeks, kyiv has managed to damage numerous refineries and e-commerce warehouses in the Russian rear, while Moscow has intensified its missile attacks against kyiv and Black Sea ports, an escalation that coincided with the stagnation of the peace process.

In turn, the Russian spokesperson confirmed that Putin will receive both mediators this Saturday, who had not traveled to Moscow since last January. "Indeed, there will be a meeting. As a rule, so far they have been quite long," he said.

However, he also called not to rush into the possible results of the meeting, since "the president (of the United States, Donald Trump) himself said yesterday (Friday) that these were not new ideas" for the settlement of the conflict.

As for why, for the first time, Witkoff and Kushner are also traveling to kyiv, he urged reporters to ask American envoys that same question.

The special US plane with both emissaries entered Russian airspace from Finland less than two weeks after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow for the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Trump acknowledged last night that his envoys "carry with them a proposal to end the war. Because I put an end to eight wars."

Putin this week showed himself willing to receive Witkoff and Kushner, but has for the moment rejected both a prolonged ceasefire and a possible tripartite summit with the US and Ukraine, unless it is to sign a definitive peace.