Russia is invincible, Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has told the US president-elect
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told US President-elect Donald Trump that Russia can’t be defeated on the battlefield while Ukraine hopes to survive on Western life support, the Kazakh leader revealed during an interview to the outlet Ana-Tili published on Friday.
Tokayev said that Trump had sought his opinion on the matter during a telephone conversation last month.
“The situation is unique: Russia is militarily invincible, and Ukraine hopes to survive the war with the help of its Western allies, at least not to lose it,” Tokayev said.
Ending the hostilities “depends on the will and desire of the heads of the conflicting countries and, of course, Trump himself as the leader of a world power,” the Kazakh president added.
While Kazakhstan is “not asking to be mediators anywhere,” it is “always ready to help in resolving international problems,” Tokayev noted.
Astana practices a “multifaceted” foreign policy but is also firmly committed to developing a strategic partnership and allied relations with Russia, according to Tokayev. He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “an experienced statesman” who “understands the specifics of Kazakhstan” and also mentioned that the two countries share the longest continuous land border in the world.
Tokayev has brought up Russia’s military invincibility before. At a meeting of the Astana Think Tank Forum in October, the Kazakh leader said he had shared this view with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Russia is militarily invincible. This is a fact confirmed by Russia’s military potential, the support of the country’s population for President Putin’s policies, and by history itself,” Tokayev said at the time.
Wanting to end the conflict through negotiations is “not a sign of weakness, but an expression of strategic prudence,” he added at the conference. “The alternative is a war of mutual extermination. Perhaps some world powers are interested in this, but this is a path to the abyss.”
Trump overwhelmingly won the US presidential election in November while campaigning on ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict “within 24 hours.” Not much is known about any peace plan he might propose, aside from media speculation.
Moscow has voiced readiness to talk and set out its terms for ending the fighting. Meanwhile, Kiev has insisted on perpetual Western support for its war effort and outlawed any talks with Russia while Putin is president.
