Kremlin shrugs off Tokayev's praise of Trump as “statesman sent from above”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question about whether he was aware of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s greeting to US President Donald Trump at the White House.

“Of course. What’s so strange about that?.. Many of those who enter the White House start speaking that way. Didn’t we talk the same way in Anchorage? You should recall it! Or just reread it, after all,” Peskov told Kommersant special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov.

At the “Central Asia–United States” summit, Tokayev referred to Donald Trump as “You are a great statesman, sent to restore common sense and tradition to American politics and diplomacy.”

The Kazakh president’s press service later reported that during Tokayev’s visit to the United States, companies from both countries signed deals worth over $17 billion.

The meeting between Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev and Donald Trump took place at the C5+1 summit in Washington on 7 November 2025, when the US president hosted leaders of the five Central Asian nations in the White House. 

At the gathering, one of the core agendas was boosting cooperation in rare earth minerals and high-tech supply chains, as the United States seeks to reduce its reliance on China and deepen its engagement with Central Asia’s energy- and mineral-rich states. 

At the same time, Russia closely watched the summit given the traditional influence it has held in the region and the potential implications for its economic and security ties, especially with Kazakhstan.

By Jeyhun Aghazada