Freeze the war? Ukraine responds to Tokayev’s call to Putin
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s call to halt hostilities in the Russia-Ukraine war and return to a diplomatic settlement. Sybiha made the remarks in response to Tokayev’s statement to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Omsk on July 25. He shared his comments on X.
The Ukrainian foreign minister thanked the Kazakh leader for openly calling on the Kremlin to stop the war.
«We appreciate President Tokayev telling Putin that it’s time to stop the war. A realistic, timely, and wise message,» Sybiha said.
He noted that Ukraine had previously proposed halting hostilities along the current front line and moving toward diplomacy, but Russia continues to reject that approach.
«Putin’s spokesman has already dismissed the Kazakh President’s proposal as well. The bottom line: Moscow must feel more pressure before it accepts realistic peace proposals,» Sybiha said.
Tokayev calls for a cease-fire
Tokayev made the statement Saturday, July 25, in Omsk during bilateral talks with Putin on the sidelines of the Kazakhstan-Russia Interregional Cooperation Forum.
The Kazakh president said that «no one has a ready-made solution, because each side has its own position» and suggested considering a suspension of hostilities.
«Perhaps this conflict should be frozen, and the parties should return to the Istanbul Formula 2.0, given the significant progress that was achieved there,» Tokayev said, adding that he had received numerous signals from Europe and the U.S. but that Kazakhstan was not seeking to act as a mediator.
Tokayev also emphasized that the conflict was interstate in nature.
«As you know, from the very outset I have maintained that this is an interstate conflict, a conflict between states. We are not talking about a civil war. We have always respected the Ukrainian people, their culture, and their language. We believe that the true nature of this conflict remains unclear to many, ourselves included,» Tokayev noted.
Moscow rejects proposal
During the meeting, Putin promised to brief his Kazakh counterpart in detail on the situation «regarding the Ukrainian issue.»
Later, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said freezing the conflict was not feasible, given Kyiv’s current stance and the fact that Russia had yet to achieve its goals.
