SRINAGAR: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces not to carry out strikes against Kyiv for three days, beginning at midnight, as US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visit Moscow for talks on the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said as reported by russian media outlets.
Putin is scheduled to meet Witkoff and Kushner on Saturday, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today,” Peskov said.
The Kremlin said the temporary halt was ordered in connection with preparations for the arrival of the US delegation. It also said the media would be briefed following Putin’s discussions with the two American representatives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine would also suspend airstrikes during the US envoys’ visit and called on Moscow to reciprocate. Russia had not publicly responded to the proposal before Putin issued the order.
Zelenskyy said Russian forces had carried out overnight strikes on Kyiv and Boryspil International Airport ahead of the planned US visit to Ukraine.
“Clearly, these Russian strikes on the airports are a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post.
He added that Ukraine would modify its operations involving Russian airspace, which he said had become dangerous because of Ukrainian drones and missiles.
A Russian drone also struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in Kyiv on Friday, amid a period of heavy Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
The full-scale war began on February 24, 2022, when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, although the wider Russia-Ukraine conflict dates back to 2014.
