Kazakhstan's President Tokayev urges Putin to freeze Ukraine war, proposes return to Istanbul negotiations

Jul 25, 2026

During a bilateral summit in Omsk on July 25, 2026, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged Vladimir Putin to freeze the war in Ukraine and return to the 2022 Istanbul negotiating framework. While Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed the proposal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected it as impossible, insisting Russia must achieve its military goals. The diplomatic clash occurred amid intensive Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries and Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Tokayev peace proposal

▪Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's proposal, stating that freezing the conflict is impossible and Russia must achieve its goals.
▪Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received multiple signals from Europe and the United States regarding the current state of the conflict.
▪Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha supported Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's call to stop the war, stating that Moscow must face greater pressure to agree to realistic peace proposals.
▪Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed freezing the Russia-Ukraine war and returning to the "Istanbul 2.0" negotiating framework during a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Omsk on July 25, 2026.

Ukrainian drone strikes

▪Ukrainian drones struck a Siberian oil refinery in Tyumen and targeted a military factory in the Kirov region on July 25, 2026.
▪More than 300 Ukrainian drones were launched into Russia on July 25, 2026, disrupting an athletics competition in Yekaterinburg and forcing the evacuation of a Wildberries facility.
▪Russia extended its fuel export ban until the end of 2026 following domestic fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil infrastructure.
▪Kazakhstan implemented strict border controls to restrict fuel exports to Russia due to a surge in demand from Russian drivers seeking cheaper gasoline.

Russian attacks on civilians

▪A Russian strike on the Azov Sea town of Kyrylivka on July 25, 2026, killed 12 people, including four children, at a seaside tourist camp.
▪A Russian strike on the town of Sumy on July 25, 2026, killed three people at a site belonging to the Nova Poshta private courier service.
▪Russian strikes twice hit a civilian cargo vessel carrying corn leaving the port of Odesa on July 25, 2026, leaving two crew members missing.