US envoys meet Putin in Moscow, agree to three-day pause on capital strikes

US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday for peace talks aimed at ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year. They were greeted at Vnukovo Airport by Kremlin investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

The pair met President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin for approximately three hours, joined by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. Putin described the situation as "not so easy" but called the contacts "undoubtedly always useful" and thanked Trump for his peacemaking efforts.

“The situation is of course not simple”

Both sides agreed to a three-day pause in strikes on each other's capitals. Putin ordered Russian forces to halt attacks on Kyiv starting midnight Saturday, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy committed Ukraine to refraining from strikes on Moscow through Monday.

The envoys are expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for their first visit to the Ukrainian capital since Trump's re-election. Zelenskyy said the plan for diplomatic talks involving the US team has been approved and that he is ready for a substantive conversation.

Previous US-led peace efforts have failed to produce a ceasefire beyond the capitals. Putin stated Russia had not agreed to a broader ceasefire across the 1,250-kilometre front line. Trump said the envoys were bringing a new proposal to end the war but provided no details.