Nov 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss energy ties on a visit to Kazakhstan this week, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, a trip that comes amid trade tensions with the Central Asian nation, which exports most of its oil through Russia.
Kazakhstan, which has tried to distance itself from Moscow's war in Ukraine, remains highly dependent on Russia for exporting oil to Western partners and for imports of food, electricity and refined oil products.
"Our countries are ... constructively cooperating in the oil and gas sector," Putin wrote in an article "Russia – Kazakhstan: a union demanded by life and looking to the future" for the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper and published on the Kremlin's website late on Tuesday.
Putin's article came after Kazakhstan's energy minister on Monday said his country could sharply increase its crude oil exports out of Turkey's port of Ceyhan, a move that would reduce the share of flows it currently sends via Russia.
Underscoring that more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil is exported to foreign markets through Russia, Putin, who starts his visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday, said he and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev always focus on "a specific result" in their talks.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists on Tuesday, without providing further detail, that Putin and Tokayev will sign a protocol on extending an agreement on oil supplies to Kazakhstan.
Putin also said in his article that Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom - already involved in some projects in Kazakhstan - "is ready for new large-scale projects".
In October, Kazakhstan, a nation of 20 million, voted in favour of constructing its first nuclear power plant, under a Tokayev-backed plan that faced public criticism and concerns that Russia would be involved in the project.
Putin's visit also comes amid agricultural trade tensions following a Russian ban on imports of grain, fruit and other farm products from Kazakhstan in October.
Moscow imposed the ban after Kazakhstan refused to join BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies which Putin hopes to build as a powerful counterweight to the West in global politics and trade.
Armenia heads to the polls on 7 June in a key parliamentary vote seen as a test of its democratic reforms and political direction since 2018. Prime Mi...
The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with around 600 mothers dying for every 1...
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al‑Zaidi will pay an official visit to the United States, bringing with him a delegation of business leaders, priva...
The U.S. plans to seek the redirection of Iranian assets to Gulf states to help fund reconstruction and repairs for damage attributed to Iran, a sourc...
A U.S. doctor who contracted Ebola while on a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has recovered and been discharged from a hospit...
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 20th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russia is considering the possibility of joint projects with the United States and China, Kirill Dmitriev, Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, (Russia's sovereign wealth fund), was quoted as saying by state media on Wednesday.
It's doubtful that Iran's proposal on resolving the two-month war will be accepted by President Donald Trump, an official source said, dampening hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed thousands.
Armenian authorities arrested six candidates from the pro-Russian Strong Armenia bloc on Saturday, one day before voters were due to take part in parliamentary elections.
More than 6,000 people gathered outside a vote-counting centre in Seoul on Friday night, demanding this week’s local elections be repeated after ballot shortages left some voters unable to cast their ballots.
Five Azerbaijani crew members were killed, and three others were injured after two cargo vessels were hit in a drone attack in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, as Russia blamed Ukraine for the strike.
The U.S. said it struck Iranian radar sites on Qeshm Island and in Goruk after intercepting four drones, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launches retaliatory strikes on four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. bases in the Gulf.
The new AnewZ documentary, TARGET: Yerevan, builds its explosive case on exclusive, secret recordings originally published by Minval Politika.
The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with around 600 mothers dying for every 100,000 live births.
In a workshop surrounded by the wreckage of war, workers in Gaza are giving a second life to small leisure boats once used for family outings and swimming trips.
A seven-month-old Palestinian baby has been killed and his parents injured after Israeli forces fired at a vehicle in Hebron, Palestinian health officials say.
The U.S. said it struck Iranian radar sites on Qeshm Island and in Goruk after intercepting four drones, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launches retaliatory strikes on four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. bases in the Gulf.
Azerbaijan is once again at the centre of global climate diplomacy, hosting World Environment Day 2026 and bringing together international leaders, policymakers and organisations to address urgent environmental challenges.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment