Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv, with the halt beginning at midnight on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced the order on Saturday, stating that no strikes would target the Ukrainian capital for three days. Peskov tied the pause directly to preparations for visits by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv for peace talks.

The envoys arrived in Moscow on Saturday, where they were greeted by Russian special representative Kirill Dmitriev. The visit aims to revive stalled negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already committed to pausing Ukrainian airstrikes during the envoys' trip and urged Russia to do the same. Ukrainian officials noted that the Russian pause applies only to Kyiv itself and does not extend to other cities or regions.

The announcement comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to broker an end to the conflict, which has now entered its fifth year. Previous attempts at temporary halts in attacks have had mixed results.