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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to "freeze" the war in Ukraine and return to what he called the "Istanbul Formula 2.0," while stressing that Kazakhstan does not want to serve as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv.
Speaking at a meeting with Putin in Omsk on the sidelines of the 22nd Forum on Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, Tokayev said, "Perhaps this conflict should be frozen, and we should return to the Istanbul Formula 2.0, since significant results were achieved there. Then, naturally, under guarantees from the major powers, including Russia, we can move toward the long-awaited peace."
Tokayev said Kazakhstan does not wish to serve as a mediator in the conflict, explaining, "I refuse to be a mediator, since I know that Russia is a great country, the Russian people are a great people, and as they say, it will manage on its own without mediators."
He said he had received "many signals" from Europe and the United States regarding the conflict, and had chosen to share his views publicly given that his meeting with Putin was already known and people had asked him to convey them.
"How to get out of the situation? No one knows, because there are the positions of the sides. But on the other hand, there is such a moment and opportunity as putting all of this on 'freeze.' This is a tested approach in international practice," Tokayev said.
"It's a pity, young people are dying, this is the gene pool of the brotherly peoples, Russia and Ukraine. All of this needs to be stopped, because what is happening, in my firm view, benefits and pleases the adversaries of both Russia and Ukraine," he added.
Tokayev said the nature of the conflict remained unclear to many, including Kazakhstan itself, contrasting it with the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, which he said had clear historical origins.
He described the Russia-Ukraine war as an interstate conflict rather than a civil war, and said Kazakhstan has always treated Ukraine with respect. He reaffirmed that Astana's position toward Russia remains unchanged, saying, "Do not doubt, we have always considered and continue to consider Russia a great state. We are committed to strategic cooperation with Russia, to allied relations, however difficult that may be."
Tokayev also praised what he called Putin's "maximum diplomatic flexibility" at the recent Anchorage, Alaska summit.
Tokayev's remarks came the same week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with American commentator Laura Loomer, shared on X, that a ceasefire would be "better" than a prolonged fight.
"So if tomorrow we can stop the war to make a ceasefire, it's better than to fight 10-20 years for the victory and to lose your people," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine has not abandoned its goal of "victory" but is "focusing on the human lives."
Zelenskyy credited what he described as growing trust between himself and President Trump, pointing to a one-on-one meeting in the Vatican in April 2025 as a turning point, and reaffirmed his readiness to sign a peace deal with Russia, saying he has told Trump he is prepared to travel to the U.S. to do so.
Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said July 16 that both Russia and Ukraine appeared psychologically ready for a ceasefire after exhausting available means in the war, telling reporters he had been informed at the highest level during his Moscow visit that both sides remained open to meeting under Turkish or U.S. mediation, at which Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting could take place in Türkiye.
Türkiye has hosted several prior rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks, both at the war's outset and again in 2025.
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