Ukraine ready to halt strikes on cities in peace talks: Zelenskyy
09:55, 06/09/2026, SundayU: Update: 10:21, 06/09/2026, Sunday
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Zelenskyy said Ukraine would observe a limited three-day ceasefire on airstrikes against cities involved in ongoing negotiations, announcing the pause would cover Moscow through Monday while expecting reciprocal Russian restraint on Kyiv as US envoys visited Moscow.
Zelenskyy announces conditional truce
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Saturday that Kyiv would halt airstrikes on cities participating in US-mediated peace negotiations, declaring a temporary truce covering Moscow through Monday in a gesture tied to American diplomatic efforts. In a statement on social media platform X, Zelenskyy confirmed he had spoken with US envoys who arrived in Moscow earlier in the day to pursue a settlement to the more than four-year conflict.
“From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process,” he said, outlining the scope of the proposed pause. The Ukrainian leader specified the timeframe for the unilateral measure, adding: “From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv,”
Kremlin orders parallel pause
Zelenskyy's declaration followed an announcement from the Kremlin that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a three-day halt to strikes on the Ukrainian capital beginning at midnight local time. The parallel moves emerged as American diplomats launched a fresh push to broker an end to hostilities that have stretched since February 2022.
US envoys shuttle between capitals
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is married to President Donald Trump's daughter, arrived in Moscow on Saturday carrying what Washington described as a concrete proposal to end the war. President Trump said Friday the delegation would travel to Russia not with exploratory talks but with a specific plan, telling reporters: “They're bringing with them a proposal to end the war,”
The American envoys are scheduled to travel to Kyiv on Sunday for their first visit to the Ukrainian capital following the Moscow negotiations. The shuttle diplomacy marks the latest attempt to secure a breakthrough in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions across Eastern Europe.