Ukraine says Russia has not responded to ceasefire proposal covering strikes, front line

Ukraine proposed a ceasefire to Russia covering strikes on Ukrainian territory and fighting along the front line but has received no response from Moscow, Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov said Saturday.

In an interview with public broadcaster Suspilne, Budanov said the proposal was personally delivered to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He said Russia would likely pause strikes on Kyiv only on Sunday, coinciding with the expected visit of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Axios and Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing sources, that the two US envoys would visit Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Witkoff and Kushner would visit Kyiv on Sunday after their trip to Moscow.

Moscow and Kyiv last held US-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year, with three rounds of talks on Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5 and Feb. 17-18. The first two rounds were held in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.

The negotiations have since been paused, with Moscow and Kyiv attributing the halt to Washington’s focus on Iran following the outbreak of war in late February.

Witkoff and Kushner have never visited Kyiv, while both have made several trips to Moscow since US-mediated talks began. Their latest visit was on Jan. 22, when they met Putin at the Kremlin.