Putin orders 72-hour suspension of airstrikes in Kyiv... U.S. special envoy arrives in Moscow

[Financial News] The Kremlin announced on the 5th (local time) that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 72-hour suspension of airstrikes on Kyiv, Ukraine. This measure was taken at the time when U.S. special envoys Steven Charles Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow to resume stalled peace talks.
According to foreign media outlets such as CNBC, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS Russian News Agency that "President Putin has banned strikes on Kyiv for three days starting at midnight today," explaining that this decision is linked to preparations for the visit of a U.S. special envoy delegation to Kyiv scheduled for Sunday.
This visit was arranged amidst escalating airstrikes by both sides, more than four and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the previous day that he would halt airstrikes during the special envoy's visit and urged Russia to join him.
This is the first visit by the U.S. special envoy delegation to Moscow since last January, and their first visit to Kyiv. Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted the U.S. delegation at the airport and posted a message and photo on social media saying, "Welcome to the peace delegation's visit to Moscow."
Meanwhile, as peace negotiations stalled, Russia has intensified bombing of major cities, including Kyiv, targeting Ukraine's lack of air defenses. The previous day, the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) was also hit by a Russian drone attack.
In a statement, President Zelenskyy emphasized, "Russia's attacks on Kyiv and Boryspil Airport were a reaction conscious of the possibility of U.S. aircraft use," adding that "Ukraine will not pose any threat to diplomatic activities."


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