On Wednesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that if the leaders of Russia and Ukraine wish to meet in Kazakhstan, the country will provide all necessary services to ensure smooth negotiations.
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In an interview with Kazakhstan’s Tengrinews, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan supports the launch of high-level direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
While Kazakhstan is not a mediator in the conflict, it is ready, if needed, to serve as a venue for negotiations and meetings of various levels between the two countries and to provide “friendly services” for this purpose.
Previously, Tokayev held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the ongoing 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Ukrainian media quoted Zelensky as saying that he was willing to meet with President Vladimir Putin at any location except Moscow, including Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, Russia’s regional crisis response center denounced that an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on port city of Novorossiysk had left two people dead and six injured.
Ukrainian drones also hit the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical plant, causing a fire at its facilities, the head of the Russian republic of Bashkiria, Radiy Jabirov, said.
On September 18, the Salavat plant was also attacked by Ukrainian drones, causing no casualties but causing a major fire. Salavat is located near the Ural Mountains, about 1,200 kilometers east of Moscow and 160 kilometers south of Ufa, the capital of Bashkiria.
