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


Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attend the 22nd Russia–Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum in Omsk, Russia, July 25, 2026. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS

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)

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