BREAKING: Putin orders 3-day halt to strikes on Kyiv during US envoys' visit, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an order to halt military strikes on Kyiv for three days, beginning at midnight on September 6, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced via Russian state media. This temporary ceasefire is coinciding with the arrival of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Kyiv, as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to negotiate a resolution to Russia's war against Ukraine.

Witkoff and Kushner touched down in Moscow on September 5 and are set to travel to Kyiv on the following day. The decision to pause the strikes was made following Ukraine's proposal for a more extensive cessation of hostilities, which ran from September 5-8. Initially, Russia declined to accept this proposal, continuing its assaults on Ukrainian territory on September 5.

President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged that Russia had deliberately targeted airports in Kyiv and Boryspil during the night, claiming these strikes were in retaliation for discussions surrounding the potential U.S. envoys' arrival in Ukraine via air travel. Zelensky affirmed that Ukraine would not interfere with the diplomatic proceedings, yet he warned that Kyiv was preparing a counter-response to Russia's attacks slated for the following week.