Kazakh President Tokayev tells Putin he sees no justification for war against Ukraine, urges an end to it

26.07.2026, 13:55 rubryka.com

The Kazakh president called for considering a halt to hostilities in Ukraine and the resumption of negotiations based on the so-called "Istanbul Formula 2.0."

"Perhaps this conflict should now be frozen and we should return to the Istanbul Formula 2.0, since significant progress was achieved there. Then, naturally, under guarantees from major powers, including Russia, move forward," Tokayev said.

Tokayev also said that the reasons behind Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine remain unclear to many countries, including Kazakhstan. According to him, he regularly receives messages from international partners regarding possible ways to resolve the war.

"I will not hide the fact that I receive many signals. I informed you about them by phone. Signals are coming from Europe and the United States concerning the current state of the conflict situation between Ukraine and Russia," Tokayev said.

The meeting between the leaders of Russia and Kazakhstan took place in Omsk during the 22nd Forum of Interregional Cooperation between the two countries.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to Tokayev's statement, welcoming his call for Putin to end the war.

"We appreciate President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's call to Putin that it is time to stop the war. A realistic, timely, and wise appeal," Sybiha said.

According to Ukraine's foreign minister, Kyiv has already proposed stopping hostilities along the current front line and moving toward a diplomatic settlement, but the Kremlin continues to reject this option.

"Putin's spokesperson has already rejected the proposal of the President of Kazakhstan. The conclusion is clear: Moscow must face greater pressure before it agrees to realistic peace proposals," Sybiha said.

As previously reported, Kazakhstan may be forced to suspend crude oil shipments to its main export terminal due to a series of attacks on oil tankers in the Black Sea. One of the key factors is the terminal's location and shipping companies' concerns over transport safety.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal is Kazakhstan's main oil export route, handling around 80% of the country's crude oil shipments.

What is known about previous proposals for negotiations

As previously reported, on June 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi published an open letter to Putin, in which he proposed a personal meeting to "end the war."

In response, the Kremlin leader said he "does not yet see the point" of such a meeting. Earlier, Putin had also claimed that his meeting with Zelenskyi should be "final" and intended "for signing an agreement," rather than for negotiations on the terms of ending the war launched by Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that the Kremlin should focus on genuine negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. According to him, the so-called "Spirit of Anchorage," which has recently been mentioned in Russia, if it ever existed, is now "certainly dead."