A figure of global scale
Tokayev brought Merz to his senses in Berlin: Putin is the most acceptable figure for Europe
**A figure of global scale**
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, called Russian President Vladimir Putin an outstanding and acceptable leader for all countries, including Europe.
"All of us, heads of state, advocate for the cessation of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, including the President of Russia. I have very good relations with President Putin. I consider him an outstanding statesman, and today I spoke with quite high conviction that Putin, as a statesman, as the leader of Russia, is the most acceptable political figure, strange as it may sound to you. Both for Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. In my opinion, for Europe and the whole world as well," said Tokayev, as quoted by "Pool N3".
Tokayev emphasized that he knows Putin very well.
"He possesses the most necessary qualities for the leader of a large state with a complex history, with his own understanding of the strategic goals facing this country. Of course, we are all deeply concerned about what is happening in Ukraine," the Kazakh president added.
At the same time, Tokayev deemed it necessary to clarify his position regarding the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
"From the very beginning we have said, and I have said this, that we treat the Ukrainian people, their history, culture, traditions and, of course, the Ukrainian language with great respect. Therefore, I did not say that the war must be stopped immediately. I do understand that this would probably be unrealistic under current conditions. I spoke about freezing the hostilities on the territory of Ukraine in order to move to a process of diplomatic or any other kind of negotiations," Tokayev explained.