Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on Russia to halt fire during visits by U.S. envoys to Moscow and Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that Ukraine would not carry out airstrikes against Russia during the visit of U.S. envoys to Moscow and called on the Kremlin to take the same measure during their trip to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said Russia must mutually guarantee a ceasefire, without airstrikes, for the period needed to conduct the negotiations. The request was made in the context of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected in Kyiv on Sunday. It will be the first visit by the two U.S. officials to the Ukrainian capital as part of the current mediation efforts.

Russia has not yet confirmed the arrival of the U.S. envoys in Moscow. In this context, Zelenskyy’s proposal seeks to establish a temporary pause in airstrikes during the diplomatic meetings. The Ukrainian president stressed that the measure should be reciprocal and strictly limited to the period necessary for the negotiations to take place.

The Ukrainian president stressed that the measure should be reciprocal and strictly limited to the period necessary for the negotiations to take place. ${{slug}}$ will be preserved exactly as requested? [sic]