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Logistical outcome: Russia and Kazakhstan are looking for safe ways to export energy resources
Protecting the export corridor and building alternative routes are becoming national security issues for Moscow and Astana. This was stated to Izvestia by interviewed experts following the results of the XXII Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan in Omsk with the participation of the heads of state. Kazakhstan's dependence on transit through the Russian Federation reaches 90%, and, according to analysts, only the November attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the CPC marine terminal deprived the project participants of about $3.5 billion in revenue. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev acknowledged that this directly affects the economic interests of Kazakhstan, Vladimir Putin noted that the countries need to continue to synchronize transport arteries. Otherwise, bilateral relations are at their peak, with trade between Russia and Kazakhstan approaching a record high of $29 billion.
Shared memory and new perspectives
Omsk has become the center of great Eurasian politics: on July 24-25, the XXII Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan was held here. Vladimir Putin and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev personally arrived to participate in the summit. The choice of the Siberian millionaire is symbolic: it was here, on the banks of the Irtysh River, in 2003, when Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev met, that this unique format was born. Since then, the geographical pendulum of the forum has described a colossal arc — from Chelyabinsk to Ufa, from Aktobe to Atyrau. Today, Kazakhstan is a key foreign trade partner of the Omsk region, even ahead of China, because geography is favorable.
— I literally got from Astana to Omsk in a little over 40 minutes — everything is nearby! Kazakhstan and Russia have the longest continuous border in the world. This is the border of friendship," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
Omsk is associated with a deeply personal story for the head of Kazakhstan. In the winter of 1945, his father, Kemel Tokayev, was treated at a local military hospital after being seriously wounded at the front. Before the start of the official program, the President of Kazakhstan managed to visit this hospital and thanked the Russian leader for taking care of the memory of all veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
Before retiring for closed-door talks, the leaders inspected interactive stands dedicated to digitalization and artificial intelligence technologies in the regional congress hall, and then proceeded to discuss the specific outcomes of the work of the two countries. Both presidents noted the unprecedented level of bilateral relations. The mutual trade turnover is approaching $29 billion, field surveys for the construction of the first Balkhash NPP in Kazakhstan are reaching the final stage, the launch of new flights from Orenburg to Alma Ata is being prepared, and Russia confidently retains the status of the largest investor — $ 30 billion of accumulated investments.
Behind these numbers lies the highest degree of personal trust. Vladimir Putin's state visit to Kazakhstan in May was already the second in a single presidential term, although according to strict protocol practice such trips are made only once. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in turn, came to Russia in November 2025.
Taking advantage of the trusting nature of the relationship, the Kazakh leader in the open part of the negotiations moved away from reporting formalities and raised a topic of concern to the entire world community. Tokayev spoke about the signals coming to him from Europe and the United States regarding the Ukrainian crisis, suggesting considering the option of freezing hostilities and returning to the Istanbul Formula 2.0 under the guarantees of the great powers.
"As for Kazakhstan's position towards Russia, make no mistake, we have always considered and consider the Russian Federation to be a great state, as I have already said, I speak about this at all international forums, by the way, and we are committed to strategic cooperation with Russia, allied relations, no matter how difficult it may be," Tokayev stressed.
- thanks. As for the Ukrainian direction, I will definitely inform you in detail during our talks today," Vladimir Putin promised.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a meeting in Omsk before the start of the plenary session of the XXII Forum of Interregional Cooperation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan, July 25, 2026
The Russian leader previously allowed negotiations based on the Istanbul agreements. Such calls for finding peaceful ways out of the current crisis seem the most logical in today's conditions, says political analyst Tatiana Kosacheva. The expert notes that the proposed Istanbul Formula 2.0 can become a real basis for stabilizing the situation and preventing uncontrolled escalation.
Consequences of APU attacks for CPC
The Kazakh leader did not hide the fact that what is happening is putting direct pressure on his country's economy. The consequences are felt not only by the parties to the conflict. The issue of unhindered transportation of energy resources to world markets is of the greatest concern.
On the eve of the summit, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) temporarily suspended oil shipments at a marine terminal near Novorossiysk due to another attack by Ukrainian drones. This is a critically important hub for Astana: about 80-90% of Kazakhstan's total oil exports pass through the CPC system.
"From the point of view of bilateral obligations, Russia and Kazakhstan fulfill everything, but there is a third player — Ukraine, which threatens this cooperation with illegitimate strikes, although Kazakhstan is not a party to the conflict," said Stanislav Pritchin, head of the Central Asia Sector at IMEMO RAS, expert at the Valdai Club. — Ensuring the security of the CPC is a serious challenge that we have to solve together.
Olzhas Baydildinov, another expert of the Valdai Club, agrees with this: the ongoing attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces directly affect the civilian economy and lead to a decrease in oil production. "For example, the major November attack on the marine terminal, according to my calculations, caused mutual losses and lost revenue of about $3.5 billion. The protection of this pipe is an absolute priority for both countries," he stressed.
Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, admitted that the topic of CPC security could be on the agenda of the heads of state. The Kremlin representative stressed that the attacks by the Kiev regime using unmanned boats on the consortium's facilities are direct attacks not only on Russia, but also on the economic interests of Kazakhstan and its Western partners. By the way, the WSJ writes that the administration of Donald Trump warned Ukraine about the inadmissibility of attacks on ships in the Black Sea precisely after the recent incidents with the CPC.
Logistics framework and digital transit
After a one-on-one dialogue, Vladimir Putin and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev led the work of the plenary session of the XXII Forum, fully dedicated to the creation of a unified global transport and logistics ecosystem. The geographical location of the two countries makes them the key land bridge of Eurasia — it is here that the shortest routes between East and West, North and South run.
— The potential for joint work here is truly limitless, because our countries are located at the crossroads of the main trade routes in Eurasia. I am confident that by continuing to work together, the Russian and Kazakh regions will continue to make a significant contribution to the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership," Vladimir Putin said.
Moscow and Astana are synchronizing transport arteries step by step. A common market for transport services is being created in the EAEU, electronic invoices and navigation seals are being introduced, freeing carriers from bureaucracy. The next stage is the launch of the Eurasian Digital Transport Corridor, where AI will be responsible for cargo routing and monitoring.
— Due to the enormous distances, it is sometimes more expensive to transport goods from the south of the republic to the north than to purchase them in the neighboring Russian border region. The economy is always looking for ways to reduce the cost, and the close proximity of two giant countries is an objective plus for businesses and citizens," says Olzhas Baydildinov.
The North—South International Transport Corridor (MTK) remains the flagship project of the infrastructure link. Its eastern branch, running through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Iran, connects the ports of the Baltic, Arctic and Black Seas with the markets of the Middle East and South Asia.
—The China—Kazakhstan—Russia link is a key land corridor in Eurasia," explains Stanislav Pritchin. — And the route through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Iran is the most ready and promising eastern test site of the North—South Military Industrial Complex. With the western branch still under construction, it is the through railway through Kazakhstan that opens direct access to the ports of the Persian Gulf.
The volume of traffic between the two countries is showing steady growth: in the first five months of the year alone, shipments via the North—South railway increased by 10%, and the total railway cargo turnover reached 95 million tons, Vladimir Putin stressed. To cope with the increasing flow, Russia and Kazakhstan are systematically increasing the capacity of border and customs terminals, proving that the economic integration of the regions remains the main engine of Eurasian development.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
