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.
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President...
Fuel leaked at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, while the NORSI oil refinery caught fire following drone attacks, Russian authorities sa...
Israeli airstrikes on the town of Kfar Hatta in Lebanon have reportedly killed six people and injured two, acco...
The United States rescued an airman caught behind lines after Iran shot down his F-15 fighter jet, the U.S. govern...
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United...
Armenia - Russia’s nominal ally in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) - appears to be accelerating its “divorce” from Moscow. While still part of the bloc and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Yerevan is deepening ties with the West and former adversaries Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
U.S. President Donald Trump called his recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very good.” The two leaders spoke on Monday about the situation in Iran and other international issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has deployed a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system in Belarus.
One U.S. crew member has been rescued after two American warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, as the search continues for a missing pilot, while President Donald Trump has given Tehran 48 hours to agree to a deal to end the war.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and protect commercial shipping, diplomats said on Friday, amid opposition from China to any authorisation of force.
One crew member from a U.S. warplane shot down over Iran has been rescued, U.S. officials said, as a search continues for a second crew member.
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President Donald Trump and Israel stepped up pressure on Iran to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy facilities.
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United States.
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President Donald Trump and Israel stepped up pressure on Iran to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy facilities.
Israeli airstrikes on the town of Kfar Hatta in Lebanon have reportedly killed six people and injured two, according to Lebanese media.
The United States rescued an airman caught behind lines after Iran shot down his F-15 fighter jet, the U.S. government said early on Sunday (5 April), resolving a major crisis for President Donald Trump with the war on Iran in its sixth week.
India has purchased crude oil from Iran for the first time in seven years, as supply disruptions in the Middle East threaten global energy markets.
Switzerland has introduced new visa requirements for Georgian diplomatic and service passport holders, highlighting growing tensions between Georgia and its European partners.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment