Putin Orders Three-Day Halt to Strikes on Kyiv Amid US Delegation's Visit

Russian President and Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin has ordered a halt to strikes on Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight on Saturday. The news was reported by the TASS news agency, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

According to Peskov, the Ukrainian side has already been informed, with the pause reportedly linked to ongoing talks in Kyiv with a visiting American delegation. Ukrainian media had earlier reported that Ukraine's armed forces had declared a ceasefire running from midnight on September 5 through September 8.

American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday morning and are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday. Peskov noted that Putin would meet with them later today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he is expecting the American delegation in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.

Strike on Kyiv's Airports

Zelensky also said that overnight Saturday, Russia struck airports in Kyiv and neighboring Boryspil — reportedly in response to the anticipated arrival of the American delegation. These are the very airfields where planes carrying American officials could theoretically have landed.

"Russian-Iranian 'Shaheds' as a response to American diplomacy," Zelensky said, commenting on the strikes.

Details of the Witkoff-Kushner talks in Moscow have not yet been disclosed. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Trump administration must take into account the actual situation on the battlefield in any attempts to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

"The key question is how ready the American administration is to invest in finding a genuine solution to the current crisis, given the situation on the ground," Ryabkov said, according to TASS, adding: "The situation itself keeps changing, and not in Kyiv's favor."

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz