Expert Dubnov Sees Special Significance in Toqayev's Independence Day Message to Zelenskyy

Well-known political scientist Arkady Dubnov commented on the congratulations of the President of Kazakhstan on Ukraine's Independence Day, Orda.kz reports.

According to him, this step demonstrates the particular courage of the Kazakh leader, as not all CIS heads of state decided to congratulate Kyiv directly.

Dubnov recalled the context:

On August 24, 1991, on the third day after the failure of the State Emergency Committee putsch, an extraordinary session of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR was convened in Kyiv, where the Act of State Independence of Ukraine was adopted. The debates were stormy and long, but in the end the act was adopted. The wording of the document seemed absolutely astonishing: 'In connection with the mortal danger hanging over Ukraine as a result of the coup d'etat.

The political scientist cited details from a 2016 conversation with Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine, recalling how the wording proposed by Levko Lukyanenko formed the basis of the 1991 referendum, which triggered the Belovezh Accords and the collapse of the USSR.

Levko Lukyanenko, a former dissident sentenced first to death and then to 15 years in a camp, had made a proposal that was not just political but historic — a decisive break with the Union. On December 1, 1991, 90% of Ukrainians supported independence in a referendum, which directly paved the way for the Belovezh Accords signed a week later, ending the USSR.

Today, leaders congratulate Ukraine in different ways: Western countries do so unanimously, while many in the CIS limit themselves to messages “to the people.” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, for example, avoided a personal address to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

This is why, Dubnov emphasizes, Toqayev’s personal message carries special significance:

Dubnov also highlighted the diplomatic backdrop: on the eve of the congratulations, Emmanuel Macron had called Toqayev to discuss the war, though this subject did not appear in Aqorda’s official press release.

The main point, according to Dubnov, is this:

President Toqayev once again confirmed his equidistance from the warring parties by sending a personal congratulation to his Ukrainian colleague. I join in.

Notably, the President of Uzbekistan also sent a congratulatory message to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

I sincerely congratulate you and all the people of Ukraine on the national holiday - Independence Day. I am convinced that the relations between our countries, based on traditional friendship and principles of long-term cooperation, will continue to develop in the interests of our peoples.

Symbolism 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Ukrainians with a video recorded directly on the Maidan. Ceremonies began in Kyiv, while congratulations poured in from abroad.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi addressed Kyiv in Ukrainian.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney came to Kyiv, took part in a ceremony on Sophia Square, and signed an action plan on security cooperation. He joined Volodymyr and Olena Zelenskyy in walking along the Alley of Memory of Fallen Soldiers and laying flowers at the Wall of Memory. The fallen defenders were honored with a minute of silence.

Norway and Germany announced joint funding of nearly €600 million for Patriot air defense systems and radars.

Meanwhile, drone and missile strikes hit Kyiv during the holiday: Ukraine reported shooting down 48 out of 72 drones and one ballistic missile, while Russia claimed strikes on targets in the Kursk region and the port of Ust-Luga.

The day also coincided with a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Dozens, including defenders of Mariupol and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, were released, as well as eight civilians, among them former Kherson Mayor Volodymyr Nikolayenko and journalists Dmytro Khylyuk and Mark Kalyush.

Many had been held since 2022. Ukrainian authorities separately thanked the UAE for helping secure their release.

Original Author: Kamila Ermakhanova