{"text":[[{"start":7.85,"text":"The president of Kazakhstan urged Vladimir Putin to “freeze” the war in Ukraine in the latest sign that the Russian president is under growing pressure as Ukrainian attacks reach targets deep inside Russia."}],[{"start":20.4,"text":"Kazakhstan is one of Moscow’s few close partners and has not previously spoken out against the war explicitly."}],[{"start":27.299999999999997,"text":"Speaking during televised talks between the two presidents and their delegations in Omsk, Siberia, on Saturday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the conflict “should be frozen”, adding that Kazakhstan “does not understand its nature”."}],[{"start":41.15,"text":"“It is tragic, of course, that young people are dying. They are the gene pool of the brotherly peoples of Russia and Ukraine,” he said."}],[{"start":49.05,"text":"Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that, given Kyiv’s position, “a freeze is impossible”. “Our overriding condition is that we must achieve our objectives,” he added."}],[{"start":63.9,"text":"Russia and Kazakhstan share the world’s longest continuous land border, stretching more than 7,600km. But Astana must also juggle its relations with China and the west."}],[{"start":76.9,"text":"Saturday’s intervention was Tokayev’s most direct appeal to Putin so far. He previously stopped short of condemning Russia’s invasion or directly criticising its president, although he has repeatedly rejected key elements of the Kremlin’s position. "}],[{"start":91.60000000000001,"text":"He has also refused to recognise Russian-backed separatist groups in eastern Ukraine and repeatedly said that Kazakhstan recognises Ukraine as a sovereign country."}],[{"start":102.10000000000001,"text":"His rare public reprimand came after Ukrainian strikes carried the war into Russia’s heartland, setting ablaze major refineries and the warehouses of an ecommerce company known as “Russia’s Amazon”. "}],[{"start":115.9,"text":"Western capitals have also recently increased their rhetoric against Moscow. US President Donald Trump told Putin earlier this month that “it’s time to stop”."}],[{"start":125.5,"text":"Tokayev suggested that the Istanbul negotiating framework — a 2022 proposal under which Ukraine would accept neutrality in exchange for security guarantees from major powers — should be revived. "}],[{"start":138.2,"text":"“Naturally, under the guarantees of great powers including Russia, and move on towards a long-awaited peace,” he added. "}],[{"start":145.75,"text":"He challenged one of the central premises of Putin’s case for the war, saying that “many”, including Kazakhstan, did not understand its nature. He contrasted it with the longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, whose nature, he said, is “clear” and “has its roots in history”."}],[{"start":163.75,"text":"Tokayev said he had received “many signals” from Europe and the US about the state of the conflict, but added that he did not intend to act as an intermediary because “Russia is a great country and it will figure it out without intermediaries”."}],[{"start":178.45,"text":"He said he had decided to express “his humble opinion” because he had been asked to deliver a message, without specifying who had made the request."}],[{"start":186.85,"text":"Tokayev also said Putin had shown “maximum diplomatic flexibility” at the meeting he held with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage in August 2025, and that Kazakhstan remained committed to strategic co-operation with Russia. "}],[{"start":200.45,"text":"Putin replied that he would brief Tokayev in detail on the situation “on the Ukrainian track”."}],[{"start":206.79999999999998,"text":"Kazakhstan’s economy has been hit hard by the war as about 80 per cent of its oil exports flow through the CPC pipeline, which crosses Russian territory to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The system has repeatedly come under attack, with the latest strike halting flows and forcing Kazakhstan once again to cut production."}],[{"start":233.34999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785111564_7334.mp3"}