Tokayev urges Putin to “freeze” Ukraine war and return to Istanbul formula

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Siberian city of Omsk on Saturday, called for the war in Ukraine to be “frozen” and for a return to the so-called Istanbul formula 2.0, under guarantees from major powers including Russia.

Speaking at the 22nd Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum, Tokayev said the nature of the conflict remains poorly understood by many, including in Kazakhstan. “My modest opinion is that perhaps this conflict should already be frozen and we should return to the Istanbul formula 2.0, since significant results were achieved there,” he stated. “Naturally, under guarantees from the great powers, including Russia, and then move towards the long-awaited peace.”

Tokayev added that young people on both sides are dying – “the gene pool of the brotherly peoples of Russia and Ukraine” – and declared: “All of this must be stopped,” arguing that the continuation of the war benefits the opponents of both Russia and Ukraine.

He noted that he had been receiving “many signals” from the United States and Europe regarding the conflict and had already informed Putin of them. At the same time, Tokayev made clear he did not wish to act as a formal intermediary, stating that Russia, as a great country, was capable of resolving the issues without mediators. He acknowledged, however, that people were aware of his meetings with Putin and that he was effectively passing messages. [See sequence on YouTube with English translation here.]

Kazakh President Tokayev, speaking alongside Putin in Omsk, suggested freezing the Ukraine conflict and returning to what he called an “Istanbul 2.0” formula.
Tokayev said he had been receiving “many signals” from Western Europe and the US and had already discussed them with… pic.twitter.com/MY6UdZBbme
— Brian McDonald (@BrianMcDonaldIE) July 25, 2026

Putin responded by promising to brief Tokayev in detail on the situation “on the Ukrainian track.”

Kazakhstan has until now maintained a carefully neutral stance on the war. Tokayev’s public call for a freeze and a return to the 2022 Istanbul negotiating framework – which at the time envisaged Ukrainian neutrality and limits on its armed forces in exchange for security guarantees – marks a notable, if still cautious, intervention by a key Central Asian partner of Russia.

Kazakhstan has a track record of facilitating international mediation – notably hosting the Astana process on Syria – and could offer a neutral venue for future peace talks on Ukraine.

What’s behind the “Istanbul formula”?

The “Istanbul formula” (or Istanbul protocols/communiqué) refers to the draft peace proposals discussed between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators in Istanbul in late March and early April 2022, during the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

In those talks, Ukraine indicated willingness to accept permanent neutrality (renouncing NATO membership and foreign military bases) in exchange for robust international security guarantees. The proposed guarantors included the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France), along with other states. The status of Crimea was to be deferred for 10–15 years of negotiations, with Ukraine pledging not to use force to reclaim it in the meantime. Territorial issues in other occupied areas would be settled at a meeting between the two presidents.

Russia, however, pushed for far stricter conditions: severe limits on the size and equipment of Ukraine’s armed forces, a veto for Moscow (and potentially Beijing) over any collective response by the guarantor states in the event of a future attack, and other measures that would have left Ukraine largely demilitarised and dependent on Russian consent for its security.

The talks ultimately collapsed. Russia has repeatedly cited the 2022 Istanbul drafts as a preferred starting point for any future negotiations, while Ukraine has long regarded them as unacceptable given the military realities and the scale of Russian aggression that followed.

Sources: Meduza.io, Novayagazeta.eu

Caption: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pose for photos before a narrow-format meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC) at the Palace of Independence in Astana, Kazakhstan, 29 May 2026EPA/ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/KREMLIN / POOL