MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt in Russian strikes on Kyiv as U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys prepare to visit the Ukrainian capital, the Kremlin said Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days beginning at midnight. The temporary pause is linked to the visit of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are seeking to revive diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The Russian president and commander in chief has given the order not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight tonight,” Peskov said, according to Russian state media.

Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday and were scheduled to meet Putin before traveling to Kyiv on Sunday. Their visit is part of a renewed diplomatic effort by the Trump administration to push Russia and Ukraine toward an agreement to end the more than four-year war.

The announcement of the temporary halt comes after Russia carried out attacks across Ukraine, including strikes targeting areas around Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities have continued to report Russian missile and drone attacks as the conflict remains active.

The Kremlin’s decision to pause strikes on Kyiv appears intended to facilitate the U.S. delegation’s planned visit and meetings in the Ukrainian capital. The latest diplomatic push comes amid continued disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to bring the war to an end, while his administration has stepped up high-level contacts with both Russian and Ukrainian officials. The outcome of Witkoff and Kushner’s meetings in Moscow and Kyiv could determine whether the latest diplomatic initiative develops into broader peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

MOSCOW — U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday as part of a renewed diplomatic effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The two U.S. representatives met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin for talks focused on efforts to find a possible path toward ending the conflict. Putin described the situation in Ukraine as difficult and complex, while praising Trump’s efforts to seek a diplomatic solution to the war.

Trump has said his envoys are carrying a proposal aimed at bringing an end to the conflict. The latest diplomatic initiative comes as Washington continues to push Moscow and Kyiv toward negotiations despite major disagreements between the two sides. Witkoff and Kushner are also expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As part of the diplomatic effort, Russia announced a temporary 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv during the visit, according to reports. Zelenskyy has also agreed to suspend Ukrainian strikes on Moscow during the talks.

However, fighting continues in other parts of Ukraine, and significant differences remain between Moscow and Kyiv over issues including territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO. The latest meetings represent one of the most significant diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to advance negotiations since returning to the White House. The outcome of the Moscow and Kyiv meetings could determine whether the latest peace initiative develops into broader negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Shibbir Ahmed, Washington DC: CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, according to U.S. media reports citing people familiar with the trip. The visit was not publicly announced, and the CIA and Kremlin have not disclosed who Ratcliffe met or what was discussed.

Ratcliffe’s trip marks the first known visit to Moscow by a U.S. CIA director since William Burns traveled there in November 2021, when Burns met Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing tensions over Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine several months later.

The unusual trip became public after a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III was tracked flying from the United States through Latvia and then to Moscow. A U.S. diplomatic motorcade was also seen in the Russian capital.

The purpose of Ratcliffe’s visit remains unclear. It comes as U.S.-mediated efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine remain stalled, while Washington is also dealing with heightened tensions involving Russia and Iran. U.S. officials reportedly asked Ukraine to avoid certain strikes on Russian territory while the American delegation was in Moscow, according to reports cited by U.S. media.

Ratcliffe has previously been involved in sensitive U.S.-Russia contacts, including negotiations connected to prisoner and detainee exchanges. His Moscow visit therefore raises questions about whether the discussions could involve Ukraine, detainees, Russia-Iran relations, or broader U.S.-Russia security issues. However, there is currently no official confirmation of the agenda.

The Kremlin has not publicly confirmed a meeting with Ratcliffe, and U.S. officials have declined to comment on the reported visit.

The development is likely to draw significant international attention because it represents an unusually high-level U.S. engagement with Moscow at a time when relations remain deeply strained and the Ukraine peace process is uncertain.