Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a two-day state visit to Russia on Nov. 11-12 and held a three-hour meeting with President Vladimir Putin. There had been some speculation with regard to the Kazakh leader’s position, given his presence at a meeting in Washington last week, together with other leaders of Central Asia countries, with which the U.S. is eager to improve relations. At that meeting Tokayev had praised President Donald Trump highly, leading to speculation that Kazakhstan was perhaps “leaning” Westward. Tokayev’s praise for Trump also underlined the work he was doing to achieve peace in Ukraine.
The Kazakh President’s state visit to Russia has significantly dispelled any concerns in that direction. Tokayev’s plane was escorted at the border by two Russian Sukhoi fighters and he was given the red carpet treatment on arrival, with Putin accompanying him to a gala concert of Kazakh artists at the Bolshoi Theater in the evening of Nov. 12.
