Putin gets Kazakhstan president's name wrong again at Moscow meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin once again mixed up the name of Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a recent meeting, calling him 'Sargan Kemelevich.' This is not the first time Putin has made such an embarrassing gaffe with the Kazakhstani leader's name.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again caused an awkward moment on the international stage by calling Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev by the wrong name during their recent meeting in Moscow. Putin referred to the Kazakhstani head of state as «Sargan Kemelevich» — a name that bears little resemblance to Tokayev's actual first name and patronymic.

The slip did not go unnoticed, and footage of the moment quickly circulated on social media, drawing both ridicule and bewilderment from observers. This is reportedly not the first time Putin has stumbled over the name of the Kazakhstani president, making the repeated error all the more striking given the close diplomatic ties the two countries maintain.

Kazakhstan and Russia share extensive political, economic and security ties, and meetings between the two leaders are a regular feature of regional diplomacy in the post-Soviet space. The name mix-up, however trivial in isolation, adds to a series of moments that have attracted scrutiny regarding Putin's public conduct in recent years.