Crossroads Asia | Diplomacy | Central Asia

Tokayev Urges Russia to ‘Freeze’ Ukraine Conflict While Embracing ‘Allied Relationship’

Tokayev’s call for peace talks came alongside remarks on Kazakhstan’s enduring strategic cooperation and alliance with Russia.

Days after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he freeze the conflict with Ukraine and return to the negotiating table, Putin signed a pair of executive orders paving the way to begin talks with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to update their existing military-technical cooperation agreements.

These two events are not necessarily connected, but viewed together they serve to highlight the multidimensional relationships between the Central Asian states and Russia.

Tokayev met Putin in the Siberian city of Omsk for the Russia-Kazakhstan Forum of Interregional Cooperation on July 24-25. Speaking alongside Putin at the forum, Tokayev urged his Russian counterpart to return to the negotiating table.

“Perhaps it’s time to put this conflict on hold and return to the Istanbul 2.0 formula, since significant results have been achieved there,” Tokayev said, referring to talks hosted in the Turkish capital in March 2022 – shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began – and again in May 2025. 

That first round of talks in Istanbul in 2022, as Samuel Charap and Sergey Radchenko wrote in a 2024 article for Foreign Affairs, could have ended the war – but didn’t.

In other conflicts, such as Syria circa 2017, Kazakhstan has offered itself up as a mediator or a neutral venue.  

On July 25, Tokayev rejected that prospect, stating plainly, “I refuse to be a mediator, because I know that Russia is a great country, the Russian people are a great people, and, as they say, they can manage on their own without intermediaries.”

Nevertheless, Tokayev said he decided to “express my humble opinion today because people know about our meeting, they know I’m supposed to be in Omsk, and they asked me to convey this.” Tokayev acknowledged that Russia and Ukraine hold different positions, but said that there was an opportunity “to put this whole matter on hold.”

“All of this must be stopped,” Tokayev said of the conflict. “[W]hat’s happening, in my firm opinion, plays into the hands and delights of the adversaries of both Russia and Ukraine.”

Tokayev walked a diplomatic tightrope, reiterating Kazakhstan’s close ties and alliance with Russia while also pushing for peace.

“Have no doubt, we have always considered and continue to consider Russia a great nation. We are committed to strategic cooperation with Russia and to an allied relationship, no matter how difficult it may be,” he said, before adding, “We have always treated the Ukrainian people with respect.”

“The nature of this conflict is not entirely clear to many, including us,” Tokayev said before complimenting Putin’s flexibility in Alaska – where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump in August 2025. What was agreed to in Alaska is, ironically, also unclear. Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Russia and the United States did not reach any agreement in Alaska. Russian officials, however, continue to reference such agreements as a demonstration of Moscow’s ultimately potemkin willingness to pursue peace via negotiation.

In response to Tokayev’s comments, Putin reportedly replied that he would “inform Tokayev about the progress of affairs in the Ukrainian direction.”

Whether Tokayev’s nudge will yield productive talks is unclear. As........

© The Diplomat