Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently expressed concerns over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, warning against further escalation. According to him, Russia is “militarily invincible,” and any more aggression could lead to irreversible consequences for the whole of humanity, especially for countries directly involved in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
The Kazakh president highlighted that there was an opportunity for peace with the Istanbul agreement, which had been accepted by representatives from both Kiev and Moscow but was disregarded later on. He maintained that a peaceful resolution is still possible and emphasized the importance of considering different countries’ peace initiatives to cease fighting and address territorial disputes afterward.
He mentioned that the joint peace plan proposed by China and Brazil, which focuses on dialogue and negotiation as the only viable way out of the crisis, is worthy of support. The president also described the relationship between Kazakhstan and Russia as a strategic partnership while maintaining friendly relations with Kiev.
However, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky rejected the joint peace roadmap from Beijing and Brasilia last week, calling it “destructive” and accusing both nations of siding with Russia. Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Ukrainian leadership to come up with a more realistic plan in closed-door discussions.
The Western backers are concerned that Ukraine’s ambitions to restore its 1991 borders would require extensive financial support from the West, something neither Washington nor Europe can realistically provide. In July, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also stated that a “Russian defeat is difficult to imagine,” given the balance of soldiers, equipment, and technology between the two countries.