Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Astana to discuss bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, according to the Kazakh presidential press service.
The meeting focused on strengthening trade and economic ties between the two nations, with a particular emphasis on energy collaboration. Novak conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin, highlighting the strong and ongoing dialogue between Moscow and Astana.
Tokayev, in turn, emphasized that Kazakhstan-Russia relations are developing dynamically, rooted in friendship, good-neighborliness, and strategic partnership.
Russia remains Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner in terms of imports, accounting for 30.5% of the country's total imports in 2024, according to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics.
In the energy sector, the two countries maintain close cooperation, particularly in oil, gas, and electricity. At the end of 2024, Novak announced plans for a gas pipeline from Russia to China via Kazakhstan with a capacity of 45 billion cubic meters, of which 10 billion cubic meters would be used for gasification in northern Kazakhstan. In February 2025, this pipeline project was officially included in Russia’s territorial planning scheme.
Kazakhstan also relies on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which transports Kazakh oil through Russia to international markets. However, following a Ukrainian drone attack on a CPC pumping station on February 17, Novak reported that oil transportation had dropped by 30-40%, with repairs expected to take several months. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry has since expressed its intention to discuss the incident with Kiev.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS