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Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, hosted routine talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Astana on November 9. At the customary, post-meeting press conference, Tokayev said little that was new, yet his delivery marked a notable departure from the past. He opened his remarks in Kazakh, not Russian. Tokayev’s rhetoric included the usual platitudes concerning the strength of bilateral relations, which he said were underpinned by “unshakable values of mutual respect and trust.” He went on to “confirm Kazakhstan is committed to the strategic direction of further strengthening comprehensive cooperation with Russia.” But in making top Russian officials in attendance, including...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being mocked online for flubbing the name of the president of Kazakhstan during a formal meeting with the ally. -snip- videos posted on social media have centered on Putin, who has been a focus of controversy regarding his purported health issues, and his mispronunciation of Tokayev's name. Putin, surrounded by delegates at a large table and broadcast on Russian television, can be seen stuttering during introductory remarks. "Putin had a hard time pronouncing the name of the President of Kazakhstan," wrote Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, on X, formerly Twitter. "This...

Vladimir Putin had been due to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month. However, in a sign of growing Russian isolation on the world stage, an Indian government source said the meeting has now been abruptly cancelled. The move to cancel the annual face-to-face meeting was taken after veiled threats by Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war, according to Bloomberg News. Indian and Russian leaders have held face-to-face meetings every year for the past 21 years - except for 2020 due to Covid. An Indian official told Bloomberg that a meeting with President...

THIS is the moment Vladimir Putin's feet appeared to twitch and spasm during a meeting in a possible sign of Parkinson's disease. The Russian president, 70, who is reportedly "critically ill", met with Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 69, on Monday. During the tense talks in Moscow, Putin's feet twitched and spasmed - a symptom of Parkinson's disease. Footage showed his legs jolting and his feet tapping as he spoke to the cameras about the "special significance" of the meeting. He was also seen gripping his right arm with his left hand throughout the talks - months after he was pictured...

Kazakhstan’s president on Thursday blasted his government for its handling of a sugar crisis as shortages and price spikes contributed to chaotic scenes in supermarkets. Rising living costs since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic have helped fuel unrest in Central Asia, including in the region’s richest country, Kazakhstan, where bloody turmoil in January left 238 people dead. Demonstrators attend a rally in memory of victims of the recent country-wide unrest in Almaty on February 13, 2022. Hundreds gathered in Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty on February 13, 2022 to commemorate victims of the deadly unrest last month, defying an official...

Kazakhstan, an ally of Russia, has refused to recognise the Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics. Both the leaders of the disputed Donbas region, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, were present at the 25th St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). But even Russian allies for now are apprehensive to recognise them as ‘Heads of Government’. On Friday, one of the key dignitaries, Kazakhstan President President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, while sharing the stage with President Putin at the plenary session, hit a rare discordant note from Kremlin’s position. “If the right to self-determination is put into practice all over the world, then...

Nazarbayev acknowledges Tokayev’s triumph.On January 18, Kazakhstan’s first president Nursultan Nazarbayev interrupted his prolonged silence and recorded an address to the nation in which he assessed the recent upheaval in Kazakhstan and, more importantly, attempted to refute rumors that it was caused by a split and disagreements in the country’s political elite. He reiterated that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has full authority, is the head of the Security Council and will soon be elected chairman of the Nur Otan ruling party. "So, there’s no conflict or standoff among the elite. The rumors on this subject are absolutely groundless," Kazakhstan’s first president...