Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's proposal to freeze the Ukraine war received a positive response from Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga described Tokayev's call as "realistic, timely and wise."
Sibiga noted that Ukraine proposed stopping the war along the current front line and transitioning to diplomacy, and said the Kremlin continues to reject this clear path to peace.
Tokayev's Istanbul Formula 2.0 Proposal
The Kazakh leader, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Omsk, had proposed freezing the conflict in Ukraine and returning to the "Istanbul Formula 2.0".
Tokayev stated that he received "many signals" from Europe and the United States regarding the current state of the conflict. "This is an interstate conflict, not a civil war. We respect the Ukrainian people, culture and language. Perhaps this conflict should be frozen and the Istanbul Formula 2.0 should be returned to, because significant results were achieved there," he said.
The Kazakh president added that despite all the proposals and calls he received, he "categorically" refused to be a "mediator".
Moscow Rejects Proposal
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said regarding Tokayev's proposal, "Given Kyiv's stance, freezing the conflict in its current form is not possible."
Peskov also noted that if the Kyiv government makes the necessary decisions, the fighting could end "before the day is out," and that Russia's conditions were announced by the Foreign Ministry two years ago. Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with Tokayev, had detailed the course of the "special military operation."
