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

By Thomson Reuters Jul 25, 2026 | 11:17 AM

OMSK, Russia July 25 (Reuters) – 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.”

(Reporting by ReutersWriting by ​Alessandra Prentice)