“Our position is pro-Kazakhstan,” the country’s deputy FM says

Kazakhstan supports the U.N. Charter and stands for the territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine / Shutterstock

According to Roman Vasilenko, vice foreign minister of Kazakhstan, the country’s position toward the war in Ukraine is crystal clear. In an interview with DW, he said that Kazakhstan’s foreign policy is based on its national interests.

The country stands for the territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, as the U.N. Charter requires.

«Our position is not pro-Russian or pro-American or pro-Chinese. Our position is pro-Kazakhstan and our foreign policy is based on the national interests of Kazakhstan,» he underscored.

The vice foreign minister also said that Kazakhstan is pursuing seize fire and is ready to facilitate the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

«Our president has already said that Kazakhstan is ready to mediate, if necessary, between Russia and Ukraine,» he highlighted.

Last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan doesn’t recognize the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DRP) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LRP). He made this statement during the international economic forum in Saint Petersburg in responce to a question by Margarita Simonyan, a Russian journalist. At the time, Tokayev also said that there are different opinions about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In mid-March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin of Russia for war crimes committed by Russia since February 24, 2022. The court also issued a warrant of arrest for Maria Lvova-Belova, the official authorized to supervise children’s rights in Russia.

On the same day, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Putin, said that Russia does not recognize the ICC decisions and considers its arrest warrant for Putin unacceptable.

Russia unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to «denazify» and «demilitarize» this country. At the time, Putin officially recognized the independence of DPR and LPR (unrecognized by the international community, including Kazakhstan). According to experts, the two sides have taken significant losses.