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Ceasefire window begins
Ukraine ordered a temporary ceasefire from Sept. 5-8, with fighting to halt from midnight on Sept. 5 until the end of the day on Sept. 8, as Ukrainska Pravda reported on Sept. 4 citing sources in the military.
“Ukrainian troops were ordered to halt fighting from Sept. 5-8”
The reported truce is tied to a Washington diplomatic push to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner set to visit Kyiv and Moscow, and President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming their travel to Kyiv on Sept. 6 after visiting Moscow.
Zelensky pledged Ukraine would refrain from conducting aerial strikes against Russia during the visit for the safety of the U.S. negotiators, while Russia responded to Ukraine’s proposed ceasefire with waves of jet-powered drones.
Once midnight passed in Kyiv, air raid sirens sounded again as the Air Force warned that drones were heading toward the city, and the Kyiv Independent reported the ceasefire order as the latest step in peace efforts.
Envoy travel and doubts
Donald Trump told reporters that “We have an idea for peace,” as he sent special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks with both Moscow and Kyiv, and Reuters later described the same effort as Witkoff and Jared Kushner heading abroad to attempt to forge a peace deal.
The Kyiv Independent said the planned visit was the first time the two envoys travel to Ukraine, while The Hill reported Zelensky instructed the SBU to deliver an ‘appropriate, tangible response’ to the Russians following the strike on headquarters Bryony Gooch5 September 2026 02:00 Kyiv sees Europe's appetite for talks on frozen Russian assets - Reuters Ukraine sees growing appetite among European allies for a serious discussion to be renewed on the use of Russian frozen assets - and it also said Zelensky confirmed the military will hold off on launching airstrikes during the trip.
But The Independent reported claims that Witkoff is “too scared” to travel to Kyiv for peace talks, citing the Kyiv Independent and quoting a source saying, “The Russians don't want them to come here to Kyiv, and Witkoff is always sensitive to Russian sentiment,” and that “They're being told there that it's dangerous.”
In parallel, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a Friday statement shared by TASS that there are no set conditions yet to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine, adding, “Unfortunately, there are no specific prerequisites yet. Work continues and communication is ongoing,” according to The Hill.
What’s at stake next
The Hill said the details of the peace talks have not been disclosed, while El Horizonte reported that Washington’s aim is to get Russia and Ukraine to suspend attacks temporarily while the U.S. representatives remain in the region.
“I believe that we will now have a new dynamic in the peace efforts”
El Horizonte also said one major unresolved issue is the future of the Donbás, a Ukrainian territory partially occupied by Russian forces, and it framed the negotiations as continuing even as attacks between both countries persist.
NBC News reported that Putin said there was a chance of reaching an agreement to end the war, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told reporters in Kyiv that he expected a “new dynamic” in peace efforts with “the return of this active phase of political and diplomatic engagement in many capitals around the world.”
Reuters reported that a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service in Kyiv on Friday, and it described the strike as one of the most high-profile targets struck during the war as the envoys’ diplomacy unfolded.