Kazakhstan's Tokayev Urges Putin to Freeze Ukraine War as Russia's 1.4 Million Casualties Mount
Updated
Updated · The Sun · Aug 1
Kazakhstan's Tokayev Urges Putin to Freeze Ukraine War as Russia's 1.4 Million Casualties Mount
2 articles · Updated · The Sun · Aug 1
Summary
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly told Vladimir Putin to “freeze” the Ukraine war and return to an “Istanbul 2.0” framework, saying the conflict’s purpose was no longer clear.
The appeal came after a Ukrainian strike shut Kazakhstan’s main Black Sea oil terminal, with one source saying the country’s biggest oil field cut output by more than half.
Tokayev’s intervention adds to signs of strain around the Kremlin, with reports of Russian elites moving billions of dollars abroad and publicly pressing for an end to the war.
Russia’s battlefield and economic toll is deepening that pressure: the report cites 1.4 million casualties since 2022, including 500,000 deaths, while Central Asian states increasingly hedge away from Moscow.