Will Russia Honor Zelensky’s Proposed Air-Strike Truce?
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer of a temporary pause in air strikes during a high-stakes US diplomatic mission this weekend has thrown a new test back at the Kremlin: will Moscow reciprocate?
Zelensky said Friday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel first to Moscow and then Kyiv, where they are expected Sunday.
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Ukraine, he said, will refrain from air strikes while the Americans are in Russia and expects Moscow to do the same.
“There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same,” Zelensky said, stressing that Kyiv was protecting the negotiators, “not Russia.”
Washington is also seeking security assurances for the envoys’ travel.
Moscow has yet to say yes
Russia has not publicly committed to Zelensky’s proposal.
That leaves open whether Russian missiles and drones will remain grounded when Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Kyiv.
Moscow has an incentive to cooperate. The envoys represent US President Donald Trump directly, and endangering their mission could undermine Russia’s attempt to influence the latest US-led diplomatic push.
But Russia’s record gives Ukraine reason for skepticism.
Temporary pauses earlier this year, including the Easter and Victory Day truces, were accompanied by continued fighting and accusations of violations. Still, the reduction in major attacks during politically significant periods suggests Moscow can exercise restraint when a pause serves its own interests.
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Zhulyany strike raises new questions
Those doubts intensified Friday after a reported Russian drone strike at Kyiv’s Igor Sikorsky International Airport, commonly known as Zhulyany.
The strike came shortly before the planned visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The timing added to questions over whether Moscow is prepared to observe even a limited pause in attacks during the diplomatic mission.
It followed an even more significant daytime Russian drone strike on the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv.
Zelensky said the drone was aimed directly at the office of acting SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad. Poklad was unharmed.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the SBU strike a “major escalation,” saying Moscow had launched it during a renewed peace push, “laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy.”
Zelensky later said he had approved SBU and Armed Forces proposals for retaliatory action.
“Our warriors will find a way to respond to Russia for all of this, and we will choose the right time to respond,” he said.
For now, Kyiv has publicly committed to holding its fire during the Americans’ mission.
Whether Moscow does the same may provide an immediate test of how seriously the Kremlin intends to treat the latest diplomatic effort.