Russia to halt Ukraine attacks for 3 days:Putin orders pause as Trump’s son-in-law reaches Moscow; peace talks set

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 72-hour halt to attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The Kremlin shared this information on Saturday. Putin’s order comes as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow in an effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The two are expected to try to restart the stalled peace talks. Ukraine was already aware of their visit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that his military would stop airstrikes during the US envoys’ visit to Ukraine. He also asked Russia to do the same. US focus shifts from Ukraine due to Iran war The US has been trying for a long time to end the Russia-Ukraine war. However, efforts have slowed somewhat over the past six months. One reason is believed to be the US focusing more on the Iran war. Witkoff and Kushner had previously visited Moscow in January, when they met Putin at the Kremlin. During their latest visit, they were welcomed by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Russia has recently increased attacks on Kyiv Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have not yet produced any agreement. Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes on several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, have intensified. Ukraine has also continued carrying out drone attacks inside Russia. On Friday, a Russian drone targeted the headquarters of Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, in Kyiv. The SBU is also involved in many of Ukraine’s long-range attacks inside Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine is targeting not only Russian military bases but also oil refineries and e-commerce centres. Ukraine says these attacks are aimed at weakening Russia’s military capabilities and economy. On Saturday, Zelenskyy said Russia had also attacked Kyiv and Boryspil Airport overnight. He said the attacks took place while preparations were underway for a US delegation to visit Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was taking the Russian attacks seriously. He also said Russian airspace had become dangerous because of drones and missiles. However, he said Ukraine posed no threat to the US envoys’ peace efforts. How effective will the order to halt attacks for 3 hours be? Putin’s order to halt attacks on Kyiv for 72 hours could provide some time for talks during the US envoys’ visits to Moscow and then Kyiv. However, it cannot be seen as a complete ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The order only covers Russian attacks on Kyiv, while fighting could continue in other areas. The key question now is whether the two sides can reach an agreement on moving the peace talks forward during these 72 hours, or whether Russia will resume attacks once the pause ends. All eyes are therefore on Witkoff and Kushner’s Moscow-Kyiv visit. If both sides reach an agreement on any key issue, the 72-hour pause could open the way for further negotiations. However, it would be too early to see this as the beginning of the end of the war. ​