Ukraine war to end? After Zelensky, Putin orders 72-hour pause in Kyiv strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a 72-hour ceasefire on Kyiv as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attempt to restart negotiations aimed at ending Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This decision was made to facilitate the upcoming visit of Witkoff and Kushner to Kyiv, scheduled for Sunday. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the order, stating that no strikes would be conducted against Kyiv during the three-day suspension, beginning at midnight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed the temporary ceasefire, urging Russia to mirror the pause in its strikes. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine's focus is on finding viable solutions to bring an end to the four-and-a-half-year-long war, expressing hope for meaningful proposals from the US envoys and Russia's response to their suggestions.

The recently announced truce follows a surge in both Russian and Ukrainian aerial attacks. On Friday, Russian forces struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service in Kyiv, an agency involved in long-range operations against targets inside Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued to employ long-range drones and missiles to disrupt Moscow's war efforts, targeting Russian military installations, infrastructure, and oil refineries.

The diplomatic push comes amid intensified fighting along Ukraine's approximately 1,250-kilometer front line, where neither side has achieved significant advances. Russia has recently intensified its use of fast-flying, jet-powered drones, while Ukraine faces ongoing shortages of air-defense systems. Russian attacks caused casualties in Ukraine's southern Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging residential buildings, and Mykolaiv region.

In response, Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted 128 Russian drones, while Ukraine's attacks resulted in three injuries, including a 14-year-old girl, in Russia's Belgorod region.