Putin orders three-day pause on Kyiv strikes as US envoys arrive in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv as US special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for peace talks on Saturday, according to the Kremlin. The US envoys landed in Moscow for discussions aimed at reviving efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, and were met by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Putin is due to hold talks with them on Saturday, with the Kremlin planning a media briefing afterward. The visit follows an escalation in long-range attacks by both sides, with Russian strikes killing five people in Ukraine overnight and hitting Kyiv airports ahead of the envoys' planned trip to Ukraine on Sunday. Russia and Ukraine remain divided over settlement terms, including territorial demands and NATO membership.