Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for the Russia-Ukraine war to be “frozen” during talks with Vladimir Putin in Omsk. He proposed returning to the so-called “Istanbul formula 2.0” under guarantees from major powers.
Russian media reported this, citing a video of Tokayev’s remarks published by VGTRK correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
The president of Kazakhstan said he had been receiving numerous messages from the United States and Europe regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine and had already informed Putin about them.
According to Tokayev, the war cannot be described as a civil conflict. He added that Kazakhstan respects the Ukrainian people, their culture and their language.
Tokayev also said that the causes of the Russia-Ukraine war remain unclear to him. He compared it with the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, whose historical origins, he said, were more obvious.
The Kazakh president expressed the view that the war should be “frozen” and that the parties should return to the “Istanbul formula 2.0,” claiming that significant results had been achieved during previous negotiations.
He proposed continuing negotiations under guarantees from major powers, including Russia, and moving towards a peaceful settlement.
“It is a pity that young people are dying. They are the gene pool of the brotherly peoples of Russia and Ukraine. All of this must be stopped,” Tokayev said.
In response, Putin promised to brief the Kazakh president in detail on the situation in what he called the “Ukrainian direction.”
Президент Казахстана во время протокольной встречи с Путиным поставил под сомнение взгляд Москвы на войну в Украине и предложил ее «заморозить»
— Новости «Агентства» (@agents_media) July 25, 2026
Президент Казахстана Касым-Жомарт Токаев во время протокольной части встречи с Владимиром Путиным неожиданно заговорил о войне России и… pic.twitter.com/iqNqoUQ7sI
