Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to his US counterpart Donald Trump for his invitation to attend the Group of 20 (G20) Summit during the ceremony to hand over the credentials to the new US Ambassador to Astana, Julie Stafft.
“We had a friendly and at the same time meaningful conversation with President Donald Trump. Recently, we had a fruitful telephone conversation on many issues related to bilateral cooperation. I am grateful for the invitation to participate in the G20 summit, which will be held later this year in the United States,” Tokayev's press service quoted him as saying at the deed ceremony.
The Kazakh leader emphasized: “We will do everything possible to maintain and strengthen strategic partnerships in many fields.”
In early December, Trump said Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan would be invited to participate as guests at the 2026 Group of 20 summit in Miami. He posted the corresponding publication on Truth Social.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, Stafft was confirmed as Ambassador to Astana on October 7, 2025. Most recently, she served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. Previously she also worked at diplomatic missions in Russia, Ethiopia and Poland.