Kremlin rejects Kazakh president’s proposal to 'freeze' war in Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has rejected a suggestion by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to freeze Russia's war against Ukraine, calling it impossible. According to Interfax, Peskov stated that given Kyiv's position, "a freeze as such is impossible."

"For us, the main condition is that we must achieve our goals," Peskov said. When asked how Putin reacted to Tokayev's proposal during their conversation, Peskov replied: "He explained everything to him in detail about the special military operation" (as Russia calls the war against Ukraine).

Peskov added that the conditions for ending hostilities were set out by Russia's Foreign Ministry two years ago and claimed that "all of this could end today, by the end of the day, if the Kyiv regime made the appropriate decisions."

Earlier, at a meeting with Putin in Omsk, Tokayev suggested freezing the Russia-Ukraine war. "Perhaps it is time to freeze this conflict and return to the Istanbul 2.0 formula, as significant results were achieved there. After that – naturally under guarantees from major powers, including Russia – we can move forward," Tokayev said.