Russia and Ukraine Declare Three-Day No-Strike Pact Amid US Peace Talks

Russia and Ukraine have declared a mutual three-day halt on strikes targeting each other's capital cities, marking the most significant diplomatic gesture in the conflict in months. The announcement came as two top US envoys arrived in Moscow carrying a proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

US Envoys Arrive with Peace Plan

Steve Witkoff, US Special Envoy, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on Saturday, where they were greeted by Russian official Kirill Dmitriev. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin would receive the delegation the same day.

Trump described the mission on Friday, calling Witkoff and Kushner "two great negotiators" and saying he had sent them "to see if we can get something done." The pair carried a US peace plan for their Moscow discussions. This is not their first visit to Russia, but Sunday's planned stop in Kyiv would be their first visit to Ukraine.

Mutual Halt on Capital Strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that Kyiv would refrain from strikes on Moscow through Sunday and Monday, urging Russia to reciprocate. "From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv," Zelensky said.

Russian state media confirmed that Putin had ordered a corresponding halt to strikes on Kyiv for the duration of the US visit. Both countries emphasised the temporary and conditional nature of the arrangement.

Background and Tensions

The move comes after more than four and a half years of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. Despite the diplomatic overture, tensions remained visible: Zelensky said Russia had fired "demonstrative" strikes on Kyiv's airports overnight, which he interpreted as a Russian reaction to preparations for a US aircraft to potentially land in Kyiv. An overnight Russian strike on a civilian building in the Dnipro region killed four people and injured five others.

Witkoff and Kushner's visit to Moscow follows a rare trip to the Russian capital by CIA Director John Ratcliffe just over a week earlier. Previous US-led mediation attempts have not yielded a breakthrough, but the three-day ceasefire on capitals represents a new level of engagement.