Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev called on Russia and Ukraine Wednesday to "cut the knot of tensions" as the time is ripe to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.

ALMATY (Sputnik) — Nazarbayev said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television it is high time to reach a compromise and to stop tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

"I can see now that the Russian and Ukrainian sides have reached a period when the issue should be resolved by cutting the knot of the existing tensions. It should happen as soon as possible, European leaders want this [to happen], too. Now is the best time for this step."

The Kazakh leader added that he is making every effort to help find a solution to the crisis.

"When I am asked to mediate, I do not spare time or efforts, I hold meetings, call on sides to negotiate. In this situation, the countries’ leaders can always find common ground, reaching a compromise. I do not see any insolvable problems here."

Earlier this year, Kazakhstan has repeatedly offered its capital of Astana as a venue to hold Normandy format talks on the Ukrainian crisis, which were eventually staged in Belarus

In mid-February, Kiev signed a ceasefire agreement with the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, following marathon talks in Minsk, brokered the Normandy Quartet of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine.

According to UN estimates, more than 6,200 have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the armed conflict erupted in April 2014.