Putin pauses strikes on Kiev

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day hiatus in strikes on Kiev ahead of talks with senior US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who arrived in Moscow earlier on Saturday.

The negotiations are expected to focus on resolving the Ukraine conflict. Witkoff and Kushner are slated to visit Kiev after their meetings in Moscow, which include talks with Putin.

Speaking on Saturday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “Russian president [and] commander-in-chief Putin has ordered [the armed forces] not to conduct strikes on Kiev for three days starting from midnight today.” He added that the decision was intended to allow Witkoff and Kushner to hold negotiations with Ukrainian officials in the country’s capital.

Several Ukrainian media outlets carried reports earlier in the day, saying that Kiev’s forces had been instructed to hold their fire starting from Saturday midnight until Tuesday.

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