Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tells Ukrainian counterpart it is important to approach resolution of ongoing conflict in ‘balanced, rational’ manner, says presidential press service
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sunday confirmed his country’s “unconditional” interest in establishing a lasting peace in Ukraine during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A Telegram statement by the Kazakh presidential press service Akorda said Tokayev noted the Kazakh people’s respect for “the Ukrainian people, their history, culture, and language,” also confirming his country’s “unconditional” interest in a lasting peace in Ukraine based on the principles of international law.
The statement said Tokayev argued that it is important to approach the resolution of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in a “balanced and rational manner, ensuring the preservation and protection of Ukrainian statehood.”
“He (Tokayev) believes that all parties should act in accordance with the ancient wisdom: ‘A bad peace is better than a good quarrel’,” the statement said, indicating that the Kazakh president stressed he understands the complexity of the “territorial problem,” calling it the “most difficult in international relations, often becoming an insurmountable obstacle to reaching an agreement on peace and even a truce.”
“But now the main priority is the preservation of Ukrainian statehood based on unshakable international guarantees of Ukraine's security,” the statement added, saying that the meeting noted Kazakhstan’s intention to continue active cooperation with Ukraine in various areas of mutual interest.
Zelenskyy, in a later statement on X, called his phone call with Tokayev “good and substantive,” thanking his Kazakh counterpart for the support of the Ukrainian people, as well as their independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
“I noted that it is extremely dangerous for every nation if this or that independent state is regarded simply as ‘territory’ and attempts are made to partition it. History has shown many times: if such injustice is allowed against one state, it does not end there,” Zelenskyy added.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump suggested “some swapping of territories" between Russia and Ukraine as part of a ceasefire deal, as both Moscow and Washington confirmed a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska set for Aug. 15.
“The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question already is in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will deviate from this – and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Zelenskyy said in a video address a day later.
