Kyiv has officially supported the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, directed at Russian leader Vladimir Putin. In a statement, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiga, emphasized the timeliness and realism of the Astana leader's appeal to "freeze" the conflict.
Assessment of Tokayev's Initiative
Andriy Sybiga called Tokayev's proposal "wise." According to him, the Ukrainian side highly appreciates the attempts of international partners to stop the hostilities. The ministry noted that Ukraine had previously proposed stopping the war along the current front line and moving to a diplomatic settlement. However, as Sybiga pointed out, the Kremlin continues to ignore this clear path to peace.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summarized the situation as follows: "Moscow must feel greater pressure before agreeing to realistic peace proposals".
Negotiation Context
Events unfolded against the backdrop of a personal meeting held on July 25 between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, Tokayev proposed "freezing" the war and returning to the negotiation terms discussed in Istanbul in 2022.
In his speech, Tokayev also touched upon the topic of Moscow's rhetoric, calling Ukrainians and Russians "brotherly peoples" and stating that the continuation of hostilities plays into the hands of Russia's opponents.
Kremlin's Reaction
In Moscow, the initiative of the Astana leader was rejected. Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov reported that Vladimir Putin reacted to the proposal to "freeze" the conflict. According to the Kremlin representative, the implementation of such an idea is impossible until Russia achieves its goals.
Peskov added that the war could stop even today, but only if Ukraine makes certain decisions, without specifying their content. Thus, Tokayev's proposal found no echo in the Kremlin, which insists on its own conditions for ending the conflict.
