Russia and Ukraine Announce Temporary Kyiv-Moscow Strike Pause During U.S. Envoys’ Visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv beginning at midnight on September 5, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said Ukraine would refrain from strikes on Moscow through Monday and expected the same restraint toward Kyiv. Zelenskyy said the move followed a call with U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had begun work with the Russian side, and that plans were approved for the American team’s next-day engagements in Kyiv. Neither statement announced a nationwide ceasefire or a halt to frontline fighting.