The decision came after U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began a visit to Moscow. The U.S. negotiators arrived in the Russian capital on Sept. 5, Russian media reported.
The plane carrying the negotiators landed at Vnukovo Airport, where Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev met them.
Air ceasefire initiative
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed that fighting continued on the front after Russia rejected Ukraine's initiative for a temporary ceasefire from Sept. 5-9.
"A ceasefire cannot be unilateral or asymmetric, otherwise it would pose a threat to the lives and health of our service members. Therefore, the objectives of the defensive operation are currently being carried out in full," the General Staff said.
On Sept. 4, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner would visit Ukraine on Sept. 6 after their trip to Russia. Ukraine suspended long-range strikes on Russia during that period to ensure the "normal functioning of Russian airspace."
Overnight on Sept. 5, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Ukraine's Defense Forces had been ordered to temporarily observe a ceasefire along the front line from 12 a.m. Sept. 5 through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 8. The move was a Ukrainian initiative, and no agreement with Russia had been reached at the time.
RBC-Ukraine, meanwhile, reported that Ukraine was awaiting Russia's response to a proposal for a temporary halt to airstrikes. The New York Times reported that the United States had asked Kyiv to suspend drone attacks on Moscow and Russian energy facilities during Witkoff and Kushner's visit.