Kazakhstan defies Putin's expectations at Astana summit
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, during his visit to Astana, referred to Kazakhstan as a "Russian-speaking country". Putin and his delegation were taken aback when, during a briefing, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev began speaking in Kazakh, despite being fluent in Russian.
During the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Vladimir Putin threatened to use Oreshnik ballistic missiles to target decision-making centres in Ukraine.
Putin surprised by the response
"If a country we are at war with becomes a nuclear power, what will we do? In such a scenario, we will use all, and I stress, all means of destruction available in Russia. We will not allow it. We will monitor their every move," Putin asserted in Kazakhstan's capital.
A key aspect of the CSTO meeting was the session of the Collective Security Council, attended by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia.
Fourteen documents were signed, including a declaration reflecting changes in the international situation, though its contents remain unpublished. They also discussed joint commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2025, known in the former USSR as "the victory over fascism".
Putin, during a press conference in Astana, reiterated that Kazakhstan is a "Russian-speaking country." The assertion holds some truth, as Russian is an official language there.
"Trolling at a high level"
However, Tokayev's subsequent actions confirmed that relations between the countries are strained.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, during a joint briefing with Putin, chose to speak in Kazakh rather than Russian, contrary to the expectations of Putin and his delegation.
During Tokayev's speech, Putin picked up the headset to hear the translation. The Russian delegation hastily followed suit.
"Trolling at a high level" - remarked former advisor to Zelensky, Anton Gerashchenko.
"This is an example of the diplomatic embarrassment of the Russian delegation in Kazakhstan under Putin's leadership," commented the Krym Wind channel.
Putin mocked the Kazakh president twice
Putin - likely on purpose - twice mispronounced the name of the Kazakh President. The first instance was on 17 June 2022 when Tokayev declared Kazakhstan would not recognise Putin's nominees in the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics.
Putin referred to the President of Kazakhstan as Kamyzham Ishemilevich, whereas his true name is Kassym-Jomart Kemelovich Tokayev.
Putin repeated the mispronunciation on 9 November 2023.
In late October 2024, the government of Kazakhstan announced its firm opposition to Russia's use of its territory to evade international sanctions.
Summit without Armenia, once again
Once more, the leader of Armenia, a nation that has long signalled its intent to withdraw from the CSTO, was absent from the alliance's summit of heads of state. In February 2024, Armenia suspended its participation in the alliance, ceased co-financing the organisation, and has not engaged in any joint exercises since.
The absence of Armenia at the summit was noted by the leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who stated that "it reflects the current geopolitical situation in the region and to some extent our organisation".
