During a face-to-face meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Omsk, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, proposed ‘freezing’ Russia’s war against Ukraine and return to the negotiation format discussed in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.
The President of Kazakhstan stated that he had allegedly “received requests to act as a mediator, so he decided to propose a way to end the war”.
“Perhaps it is time to freeze this conflict and return to the Istanbul Formula 2.0, as significant progress was made there. Then, under the guarantees of the major powers, including Russia, we can move towards the long-awaited peace,” he said.
During the meeting, Tokayev also reiterated a number of points that align with the Kremlin’s rhetoric. In particular, he described Ukrainians and Russians as “brotherly peoples”, expressed his condolences for the loss of life on both sides, and claimed that the war was allegedly benefiting the “enemies”.
Tokayev expressed confidence that Putin had shown “the utmost diplomatic flexibility” during his meeting with the US President in Alaska.
Ukraine has repeatedly emphasised that the 2022 Istanbul talks cannot serve as the basis for a peaceful settlement, as the conditions proposed at that time entailed significant restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty and did not guarantee the country’s security. Kyiv insists that any negotiations must be based on respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and international law.
The most recent peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the US, took place in February. Due to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, the trilateral talks were postponed indefinitely.
US President Donald Trump recently stated that the resolution of the US conflict with Iran would allow Washington to focus on resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war.