Putin orders three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv as US envoys Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Moscow
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced on 5 September that President Vladimir Putin had ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv, citing the preparation and conduct of contacts with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who arrived in Moscow the same day. Ukraine says it had proposed a broader ceasefire regime covering the front line and was awaiting a response from Moscow.
Key points
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin ordered a halt to strikes on Kyiv for three days, linked to the US negotiators' visit.
- US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on 5 September and were scheduled to meet Putin the same day.
- Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine had sent Russia a ceasefire proposal, delivered personally to Putin, covering both strikes on Ukraine and the front line; he said there was no response.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would not carry out air strikes during the period needed for the safe arrival of the US representatives and called on Russia to mirror the silence.
- Zelensky reported that on the night of 5 September Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones, including strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil.
- The Ukrainian General Staff said combat operations continue because a ceasefire cannot be one-sided or asymmetrical.
- Sources differ on whether Ukrainian forces received an order to observe a silence regime on the line of contact from 5 to 8 September: Ukrainska Pravda cited sources saying such an order was issued, while an Office of the President source denied it.
Why it matters
Peskov's announcement frames the pause as a Russian goodwill gesture tied to US diplomacy, shifting responsibility for the war's continuation. It coincides with a high-profile US negotiating visit and an alleged Ukrainian ceasefire proposal, making it a focal point of any near-term de-escalation. Yet the Russian Defense Ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian territory the same night and the General Staff said combat operations continue, raising questions about whether the unilateral pause is being observed in practice. Disputes among Ukrainian sources about whether a ceasefire regime was actually ordered on the contact line further complicate the picture of who is reciprocating whom.
What happened
On 5 September, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that Vladimir Putin had ordered a halt to strikes on Kyiv for three days, citing the preparation and conduct of contacts with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The two envoys arrived in Moscow the same day and were due to meet Putin before travelling to Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from air strikes during the period needed for the safe arrival of the US representatives and called on Russia to mirror the silence. Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine had sent Russia a ceasefire proposal covering both strikes on Ukraine and the front line, delivered personally to Putin, and was awaiting a response. Zelensky reported that on the night of 5 September Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones, including strikes on airports in Kyiv and Boryspil. The Ukrainian General Staff said combat operations continue because a ceasefire cannot be one-sided or asymmetrical, and the Russian Defense Ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian territory that night.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the start date of Putin's pause order, with some accounts placing it at midnight on 5 September and others at midnight on 6 September. They also disagree on whether Ukrainian forces received an order to observe a silence regime on the line of contact from 5 to 8 September: Ukrainska Pravda cited sources saying such an order was issued, while an Office of the President source denied it to Suspilne. A third disagreement concerns whether Russia actually observed a pause: Peskov announced the three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv, but the Russian Defense Ministry reported strikes on Ukrainian territory the same night and the Ukrainian General Staff said combat operations continue because a ceasefire cannot be one-sided.
Background
Ukraine had sent Russia a ceasefire proposal delivered personally to Putin, covering both strikes on Ukraine and the front line, and was awaiting a response. US special representatives Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Russia and were scheduled to continue to Kyiv in early September. President Zelensky said Ukraine would not carry out air strikes during the period needed for the safe arrival of the US representatives and called on Russia to mirror the silence. Trump publicly confirmed the trip and said the envoys were carrying proposals to end the war; Bloomberg reported Kremlin expectations for the visit were 'extremely low.'