Poroshenko, Nazarbaev discuss ties, Ukraine crisis in Astana

The two leaders on October 9 also discussed the situation in Ukraine's east. Poroshenko, who arrived in the Kazakh capital on October 8, said after the talks that the current cease-fire in Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions give reasons for "cautious optimism" for full implementation of the conflict-regulation agreement reached in Minsk in February. Nazarbaev said his country supports the Minsk process, stressing that "there is no alternative" to a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Nazarbaev added that Kazakhstan will continue sending food to Ukraine's east and will financially support the regions hit by the conflict through the International Red Cross.