Kazakh President Proposes ‘Istanbul Formula 2.0’ to End Russia-Ukraine War
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed halting the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and resuming peace talks based on the “Istanbul Formula 2.0.”
According to Reuters, Tokayev stated on Saturday at the Russia-Kazakhstan interregional cooperation meeting in Omsk, Russia, in the presence of Vladimir Putin, that if the war stops and both sides return to the negotiating table, conditions would be conducive for reaching a peace agreement.
Referring to what he called Putin’s “diplomatic flexibility,” Tokayev emphasized that the time has come to end the conflict and that negotiations should resume with security guarantees provided by major powers, including Russia.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, quoting Putin, stated that given Ukraine’s current stance, stopping the war in this way is not possible, and that the military operation will only cease once Kyiv accepts Moscow’s demands.
Reuters also reported that Russia continues to insist that for peace to be achieved, Ukraine must withdraw its forces from four regions that Moscow considers part of its territory and relinquish its aspirations to join NATO.
Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul in the early weeks of the war in 2022, but these talks stalled without reaching a final agreement.
