Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin meets with Trump envoys amid 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv
Russian president Vladimir Putin has met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner amid a 72-hour pause in strikes on Kyiv. Mr Putin said that contacts with the US mediators were “always beneficial” as Mr Trump’s representatives seek to progress a plan for an end to the Ukraine war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state media on Saturday: “Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting at midnight today.” The decision was tied to preparations for US envoys Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner to visit Kyiv for peace talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Zelensky has also said that Ukraine will refrain from airstrikes on Moscow while US envoys are in the city. Mr Putin’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a pessimistic tone on Saturday, saying: "The key question is the extent to which the US administration is prepared to invest in finding a real solution to the current crisis, considering the realities on the ground.”Nato should not tolerate hybrid war, US ambassador says after Berlin blames Russia for drone attack Nato members should not tolerate deliberate actions of hybrid war, and the United States will stand by countries as they deal with these incidents, Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, said on Saturday. Mr Whitaker said last month's attempted drone attack at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin has blamed on Russia, was more worrying than other recent incidents Nato members have faced due to Russian drones targeting Ukraine that strayed off course. The response to these challenges is primarily national, but the United States supports countries when they are dealing with these acts, he said. "Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions like we saw in Leipzig, like we have seen in Poland," Mr Whitaker said speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy. Nato members must be prepared, vigilant and also deliver a strong message when they are challenged by these events, he said. "If we can identify who's doing it which Germany did we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable and we will not tolerate it," Mr Whitaker said. Critical infrastructure, including energy assets, could be targeted and should be monitored by national authorities, he added. Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 21:03In pictures: US presidential envoys meet with Putin Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev attend a meeting with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, at the Kremlin in Moscow. The US envoys are meeting both Mr Putin and later Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in a bid to progress peace talks. Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 21:02Recap: Russian drone strikes Ukraine ‘MI5’ headquarters ahead of US peace talks Smoke could be seen above the SBU headquarters in Kyiv on Friday after a drone targeted the office of the acting head of the security service, Oleksandr Poklad, who was unscathed following the attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that Russia would face a proportionate response. “I spoke with the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad. Unfortunately, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, across from St. Sophia Cathedral,” he said. “All emergency services are on the scene. Everyone affected will receive the necessary assistance. The drone was aimed directly at the office of the Head of the Security Service in that building. “I instructed Poklad to deliver an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike, to the Russians once everything is ready. Our military will support this response. Glory to Ukraine!” Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 20:06Putin welcomes talks with US envoys Mr Witkoff said US President Donald Trump had sent his best wishes to Mr Putin and thanked him for a ceasefire during the US delegation's visit. Mr Putin said Russia would do its utmost to ensure the safety of the mediators. The two US special representatives arrived in Moscow for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. (AFP/Getty) Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 19:37UN votes to adopt new world map that shows the true size of all countries The UN general assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of all nations, writes Stuti Mishra. The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo, passed with the support of 164 nations, including the UK. The US was the only nation to vote against it, with six other abstentions. The resolution is non-binding, but asks governments, schools, international organisations, and technology companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps wherever the true scale of continents matters, with the aim of establishing more proportionally accurate maps as a new global norm. It does not seek to ban the Mercator projection outright. The Mercator projection, which is currently used worldwide, increases distortion the further a region sits from the equator. Since Africa straddles the equator, it seems comparatively smaller than its actual size, while Europe, North America, Greenland, and Russia all appear substantially larger than they are. Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 19:05What we know about US envoys' trip to Moscow Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump’s two envoys, have arrived in Moscow ahead of talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war. Mr Trump has said that Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would be “bringing with them a proposal to end the war”. They are expected to meet both Russian president Vladimir Putin and then travel to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. The envoys were met at the airport by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s state news agency Tass said. Mr Dmitriev shared photos of him meeting the US delegation as they disembarked, alongside the caption, “Welcome to Moscow Peacemakers.” The last known visit to Moscow by Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was in January, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. They have never visited Kyiv, but Mr Zelenskyy said he was expecting them in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday. Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner’s visit to Moscow comes just over a week after a visit by the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, to the capital. Us President's son-in-law Jared Kushner (L) and US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff at Middle East peace talks in June this year (AFP/Getty) Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 18:00 Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 17:01Zelensky says there will be no strikes on Moscow while US envoys meet with Putin Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will refrain from airstrikes on Moscow while US envoys are in the city for talks with Putin. Posting on X on Saturday afternoon, Mr Zelensky said:”We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation”. He added: “I have just spoken with the US President’s envoys. They have already begun working with the Russian side today. From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process. 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.” Holly Bancroft5 September 2026 15:59Zelensky says Russia targeted Kyiv airports in response to US peace push Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of deliberately targeting airports in Kyiv and Boryspil overnight in response to preparations for US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Ukraine. Zelensky said the strikes were “a reaction to the discussions and preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine”, adding that Kyiv had recorded the move and would adjust its operations against Russian airspace next week. “Of course, there are and will be no threats to diplomacy from our side,” he said. The strikes came as Russia launched 167 attack drones and ballistic missiles overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force. Five people were killed and five wounded in a strike on an industrial facility in Kamianske, while Russian drones also hit shopping centres and residential areas across several regions. Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 15:00Russian general accused of masterminding attack on children’s hospital ‘shot in head’ A Russian general who was linked with an attack on a children’s hospital in Ukraine is seriously injured after being shot in the head, according to reports. Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich is said to have been shot on Thursday morning in the village of Probuzhdenie near Engels, in Russia’s Saratov region. Independent Russian outlet SotaVision said the attack was the third assassination attempt on Russian officers in the past two weeks. Shahana Yasmin5 September 2026 14:15
