Kazakh leader suggests freezing Ukraine conflict as oil exports hit by drone attacks

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a freeze to the conflict in Ukraine, suggesting a return to the "Istanbul formula 2.0." Speaking alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Omsk, Tokayev praised Putin's "diplomatic flexibility" and identified Russia as one of the "great powers" capable of guaranteeing peace.

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If I may offer my humble opinion … perhaps it is time to freeze this conflict and ‌return to the Istanbul formula 2.0

Tokayev's remarks come as Kazakhstan, a significant crude oil supplier to the European Union, announced a reduction in its oil output. Drone attacks, which Kazakhstan attributes to Ukraine, have forced the shutdown of its primary export terminal on the Black Sea. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) brand crude, known for being light but difficult to process, is transported through a 1,500 km pipeline to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

The Novorossiysk port has become a key location, reportedly serving as a new base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet after its withdrawal from Crimea. It is also a target for Ukraine's strategy to disrupt Moscow's "shadow fleet" of tankers that continue to ship Russian oil despite Western sanctions. In recent weeks, Ukrainian drones have reportedly struck nearly 200 vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, including tankers carrying CPC oil, and damaged the CPC's marine terminal.

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All of this should be stopped, because what’s happening plays into the hands of the enemies of Russia and the Ukrainian people

Officials in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, have expressed anger over the attacks, which began in November 2025 and intensified this month. The attacks on the CPC terminal and tankers have been described as an "unacceptable encroachment."

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Unacceptable encroachment