Russia says Kazakh proposal to 'freeze' Ukraine war impossible due to Kyiv's position

The Kremlin said on Saturday that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's proposal to "freeze" the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is "impossible" given Kyiv's position.

"Freezing (the war) as such is not possible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian media outlets, including state news agency Tass.

Peskov was quoted as saying that Russia's conditions for a halt to hostilities are clear, and the war could end "by the end of the day" if Ukraine makes the "appropriate decisions," referring to Moscow's demand for a Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbas region, as well as Kyiv's abandonment of plans to join NATO.

"For us there is one main condition -- we must achieve our goals," Peskov went on to say, adding Russian President Vladimir Putin provided Tokayev with a detailed update on the progress of what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Earlier Saturday, Putin and Tokayev held talks in the Russian city of Omsk, during which the latter proposed to "freeze" the war.

"Perhaps this conflict should be frozen, and we should return to the 'Istanbul Formula 2.0,' since significant results were achieved there. Then, naturally, under guarantees from the major powers, including Russia, we can move toward the long-awaited peace," Tokayev said.

Ukraine has not yet commented on Tokayev's proposal.