Kazakhstan calls on Putin to freeze the war
Kazakhstan is widely regarded as Russia's silent ally. But now its president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has called on Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin to end the fighting in Ukraine. At a summit in Omsk, Russia, at which both leaders were present, he urged Putin to freeze the conflict, adding that the causes of the war, which has resulted in heavy losses for both sides, was incomprehensible.
A massive slap in the face
Tokayev has publicly humiliated his Russian counterpart, writes journalist Dmitri Kolesev in a Telegram post picked up by Echo:
“Ultimately, it amounted to a polite articulation of the argument that Putin's invasion of Ukraine was essentially an act of madness and a personal whim. And that there was no historical inevitability to this war. ... This was, of course, a slap in the face for Putin, who has been peddling his 'root causes of the conflict' for years. And now this public rebuke, delivered straight to his face: there are no root causes; Putin simply made them up.”
Reasoning won't prevail here
Putin is incorrigible, laments Večernji list:
“If even allies who are well-disposed towards you – although it should be noted that Tokayev has criticised other moves by Moscow in the past, which makes his position even more unique – warn you that the path you are relentlessly pursuing is wrong and that you need to change course, any reasonable person would at least give it some thought before continuing. But this is very unlikely, and in Putin's case reason will hardly prevail. ... Accepting the current state of affairs would mean recognising Ukraine’s sovereignty, which would be tantamount to a Ukrainian rather than Russian victory. That is unacceptable to Putin. ... Putin won't stop until he is forced to do so.”