He Suggested Returning to the "istanbul Formula 2.0"

President of Kazakhstan Kasım Cömert Tokayev suggested freezing the war between Russia and Ukraine and returning to the "Istanbul formula 2.0" based on the results obtained in the negotiations, primarily mediated by Türkiye. President of Kazakhstan Kasım Jomert Tokayev met with Russian President Vladimir Putin within the framework of the Russia-Kazakhstan Regional Cooperation Forum in Omsk, Russia. Making evaluations about the Ukrainian issue, Tokayev said that he received "many signals" from Europe and the USA regarding the current conflict situation between Ukraine and Russia.

Recalling that he had previously informed Putin about this issue, Tokayev said, "You know, in my opinion and as I have said from the very beginning, this (Ukrainian issue) is a conflict between states. There is no mention of any civil war here. he said.

Explaining that they always respect the Ukrainian people, their culture and language, Tokayev said, "We think that the nature of this conflict is not fully understandable for many people, including us. For example, when there was a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including a frozen conflict, the essence and origin of this conflict was completely clear to us, going deep into history. But it is very difficult to understand the situation here (in Ukraine).

Stating that Putin showed maximum diplomatic flexibility during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, Tokayev suggested returning to Istanbul negotiations in 2022, based on the results obtained in the direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine under the mediation of Türkiye at the beginning of the war. Kazakh leader Tokayev said, "This is just my humble opinion. Since they are appealing to me, perhaps it is necessary to freeze this conflict and return to the 'Istanbul formula 2.0'.

Because important results were achieved there. Then, naturally, it is necessary to move towards the long-awaited peace under the guarantees of the great powers, including Russia, he said. Underlining that Kazakhstan is not a country that looks at the Ukrainian issue completely from the outside and has nothing to do with it, Tokayev noted that they categorically refused to be a mediator despite all offers and calls.

Tokayev said, "Because I believe that Russia can solve all the issues on its agenda on its own, without the need for any mediator. Expressing that they want to know people's opinions on how to get out of this situation, Tokayev noted that no one knows this because the parties have their own attitudes. "But on the other hand, there is also the possibility of freezing this entire issue. This is a solution that has been tried and used before in the international arena."