Speaking alongside Putin, Kazakh president calls for freeze of Ukraine war

OMSK, Russia July 25 - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Saturday that a Ukraine peace deal might be reached if the two sides froze the conflict and resumed negotiations.

Speaking alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Russia-Kazakhstan forum in the Siberian city of Omsk, Tokayev praised Putin's "utmost diplomatic flexibility."

"If I may offer my humble opinion, since I have been asked, perhaps it is time to freeze this conflict and return to the Istanbul formula 2.0," he said.

Moscow and Kyiv participated in talks in Istanbul soon after Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022 and again in 2025, though the discussions failed to produce a breakthrough.

"With (security) guarantees from the great powers, including Russia, we could move forward toward a long-awaited peace," Tokayev said. "This must be brought to an end." REUTERS