Russia and Ukraine pause capital strikes for three days during US envoy visit

Temporary halt on capital strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 72-hour halt on attacks against Kyiv starting at midnight on Saturday, 5 September 2026. The decision coincides with the arrival of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow to restart stalled peace negotiations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the order to state news agencies, tying the pause directly to preparations for the envoys' subsequent travel to the Ukrainian capital. Washington had requested mutual security guarantees from both warring parties before dispatching the diplomatic mission. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a reciprocal suspension of air strikes targeting Moscow through Monday.

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Vladimir Putin, gave orders not to strike Kyiv for three days, starting from midnight today.

Zelenskyy announced the mutual pause on social media following direct discussions with the US delegation, stating that Ukraine would guarantee safe airspace corridors for the diplomats.

From now until the end of Saturday, as well as Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from attacks against Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv.

US envoys arrive in Moscow

The US delegation entered Russian airspace from Finland on Saturday aboard a government aircraft, less than two weeks after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev received Witkoff and Kushner at the airport, sharing photographs with the envoys under the caption "Welcome to Moscow, peacemakers". Witkoff and Kushner, who is also Donald Trump's son-in-law, last visited Moscow in January 2026 to meet Putin at the Kremlin, but they have not previously visited Kyiv.

US President Donald Trump stated that his envoys are carrying a concrete proposal to end the fighting.

They carry with them a proposal to end the war. Because I ended eight wars.

Following their meetings with Putin in Moscow on Saturday, Witkoff and Kushner plan to travel to Kyiv on Sunday, 6 September 2026, for direct discussions with Zelenskyy.

Pre-visit strikes and airspace access

The temporary truce follows weeks of intensified aerial bombardments across both countries four and a half years into the full-scale conflict. On Friday, 4 September 2026, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in central Kyiv. Russian forces had also escalated daylight strikes on Kyiv, taking advantage of Ukrainian air defense shortages. Zelenskyy reported additional Russian strikes on Saturday targeting Kyiv airport and Boryspil International Airport, located roughly 30 kilometers east of the capital, describing them as attempts to disrupt the arrival of the US envoys. Ukraine has kept its airspace closed to civilian traffic since 24 February 2022.

Diplomatic positions and stalled talks

Diplomatic efforts between Moscow and Kyiv have been stalled since February 2026, when Washington shifted its strategic focus toward military operations against Iran. Peskov noted that meetings with the US envoys are typically prolonged, but warned against expecting immediate breakthroughs because no completely new ideas were being introduced. Putin has continually rejected long-term ceasefires and tripartite summits involving the United States and Ukraine, maintaining that joint meetings should only happen to sign a definitive peace treaty. In the weeks leading up to the visit, Ukrainian forces had struck Russian oil refineries and e-commerce storage depots, while Russian missiles struck Ukrainian Black Sea ports and urban centers.