Kazakhstan's president backs US plan to end Russia-Ukraine war

MOSCOW

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev backed the US peace plan on Friday to end Russia and Ukraine's armed conflict.

Speaking at a news conference in Astana following negotiations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is on an official visit to the city, Tokayev said he supports US President Donald Trump's efforts to end conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"In the current complex geopolitical situation, I support the efforts of US President Donald Trump to resolve the situation in Ukraine, as well as the plan he has presented. Kazakhstan fully welcomes the common aspiration of Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve peace," he said.

Tokayev wished the involved parties success in continuing talks and expressed readiness to provide any help in advancing it.

Tokayev also expressed support for the TRIPP project, a transportation communication linking mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave region of Nakhichevan, separated by Armenia.

This project, titled "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," is part of the peace declaration between Baku and Yerevan mediated by the American president.

For his part, Nikol Pashinyan reiterated the Armenian side's readiness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas.

"I am very pleased that, as a result of my official visit, relations between Armenia and Kazakhstan have risen to the level of strategic partnership. This means a new level of development of our cooperation in the region," he said.