Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday as Washington stepped up efforts to revive negotiations to end the more than four-year Russia-Ukraine war.

The meeting came ahead of the envoys' expected first visit to Kyiv on Sunday and amid an escalation in Russian and Ukrainian long-range attacks. Moscow and Kyiv separately agreed to refrain from striking each other's capitals for three days while the diplomatic effort was underway.

US President Donald Trump said earlier that Witkoff and Kushner were travelling with a proposal to end the war and would assess whether meaningful progress towards a settlement was possible.

Welcoming the two envoys at the Kremlin, Putin acknowledged the difficulties surrounding the conflict and asked them to convey his "best wishes and words of gratitude" to Trump.

"The situation is, of course, not simple," Putin said, according to footage broadcast by Russian state television.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered Russian forces not to strike Kyiv for three days from midnight Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently said Kyiv would similarly refrain from attacks on Moscow through Monday.

"From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow," Zelenskyy said.

Witkoff, Kushner set for first Kyiv visit

The planned Kyiv trip would mark the first visit by Witkoff and Kushner to the Ukrainian capital since Trump returned to the White House, pledging to bring the war to an end.

Ukrainian officials said the envoys were expected in Kyiv on Sunday. Their possible arrival by US aircraft would be unusual because Ukrainian airspace has remained closed to civilian flights since Russia's attack in February 2022. Foreign leaders and senior officials travelling to Kyiv have generally used trains.

The visit comes as the US-led peace initiative has struggled to gain momentum, with Washington's attention also consumed by its military conflict with Iran. Meanwhile, Moscow and Kyiv have intensified attacks, contributing to a rise in civilian casualties.

Trump said Witkoff and Kushner would determine whether a deal could be reached but did not disclose whether their proposal required Ukraine to surrender territory.