Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kazakhstan on Wednesday, and discussed boosting energy and industry ties and easing a row over farm goods with the Central Asian nation which exports most of its oil through Russia but is exploring alternatives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kazakhstan on Wednesday, and discussed boosting energy and industry ties and easing a row over farm goods with the Central Asian nation which exports most of its oil through Russia but is exploring alternatives.
Kazakhstan has tried to distance itself from Moscow's war in Ukraine. Yet the country remains highly dependent on Russia for exporting oil to Western markets and for imports of food, electricity and other 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.
Kazakhstan's energy minister said on Monday his country could sharply increase its crude oil exports out of Turkey's port of Ceyhan, a move that would reduce the share it sends via Russia.
Underscoring that more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil is exported to foreign markets via Russia, Putin said he and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev always focused on "a specific result" in their talks.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists on Tuesday that Putin and Tokayev would sign a protocol on extending an agreement on oil supplies to Kazakhstan. He did not give details.
The two leaders did not mention a protocol in remarks after their meeting on Wednesday. They did say they had discussed plans to increase the transit through Kazakhstan of Russian natural gas to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, part of Moscow's pivot away from European energy markets. They also said they talked about joint projects in hydroelectric power, car tyres and fertilisers and other areas.
NUCLEAR PLANT
Putin also said in his article that Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom - already involved in some projects in Kazakhstan - was "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 criticism from Kazakhs concerned by the involvement of a neighbour that has invaded another.
Neither leader mentioned the nuclear project after their talks.
Tokayav said he had raised the issue of agricultural trade following a Russian ban on imports of grain, fruit and other farm products from Kazakhstan in October. Moscow imposed the ban after Kazakhstan barred Russian wheat imports in August to protect its producers.
"Our countries should not compete on the Eurasian Economic Union market or foreign markets," Tokayev said, referring to agricultural exports within and outside a Moscow-led post-Soviet trade bloc.
While Tokayev has made a number of gestures welcomed by Moscow, such as initiating the creation of an international body to support the Russian language across the former Soviet space, his government has also sought to maintain friendly ties with the West.
Last month, Astana said it had no plans to join BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies that Putin hopes to build into a powerful counterweight to the West in global politics and trade.
Kazakhstan has also pledged to abide by Western sanctions on Russia, although some Kazakh companies have been caught skirting them.
Security was tight in Astana on Wednesday, with whole blocks of the city cordoned off and military helicopters and fighter jets patrolling the sky.
Hungary has strongly criticised NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s warning that Russia could be capable of attacking the alliance within five years...
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to halt all shooting from Friday evening following renewed fighting along their shared border, U.S. President Donald...
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday that it will introduce a licensing system for steel exports starting in 2026, covering around 300 s...
Venezuela’s oil shipments have plunged following the United States’ seizure of a tanker earlier this week....
The Kremlin on Friday dismissed proposals for a ceasefire to allow a territorial referendum in Ukraine, describing any pause in hostilities as a tacti...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a closed-door discussion on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday.
NATO's Secretary-General urged European leaders to step up defence efforts to prevent a war waged by Russia, that could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured".
Ukraine has presented the U.S. with a revised 20-point framework to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that the issue of ceding territory remains a major sticking point in negotiations.
Putin’s visit to India has put the spotlight on New Delhi’s evolving defence strategy as it seeks to modernise Russian-made systems with domestic production. At the same time, India is carefully navigating its ties with the U.S. and Europe ahead of key diplomatic visits.
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The resignation of Bulgaria's government on Thursday (11 December) puts an end to an increasingly unpopular coalition but is likely to usher in a period of prolonged political instability on the eve of the Black Sea nation's entry into the euro zone.
Kyiv has escalated its naval campaign against Moscow’s economic lifelines, claiming a successful strike on a vessel suspected of skirting international sanctions within the Black Sea.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a closed-door discussion on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday.
Kazakhstan has begun redirecting part of its crude exports, sending oil from Kashagan to China as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operates at reduced capacity.
Azerbaijan’s post-conflict reconstruction in Karabakh is attracting international attention. The book by British author Graeme Wilson documents this journey, combining first-hand reporting and digital storytelling to highlight both the region’s restoration and the human stories behind it.
Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has welcomed the expansion of ties with neighbouring Azerbaijan, stating that Tehran and Baku are committed to building a ‘shared, secure and mutually respectful’ future, local media reported on Friday.
Tashkent is hosting the 2025 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Annual General Assemblies, one of the most significant events in global motorsport and mobility governance, bringing together officials and delegates from around the world.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment