​The Kremlin announced “negotiations” with Kazakhstan’s President Kasim-Zhomart Tokayev immediately after he asked his government to increase oil exports bypassing Russia, Lenta reports.

On Monday, Tokayev appealed to the executive power of Astana to increase the export of oil through the ports of the Caspian Sea to 20 million tons per year, stressing that the current situation in the world markets makes the Trans-Caspian route particularly important and that Kazakhstan has mutual understanding with partner countries on this issue. .

Caspian supplies allow Kazakhstan to supply oil to Black Sea ports or Turkey, bypassing Russia. Back in June, Tokayev announced that Kazakhstan would respect the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, causing a stir in Moscow.

The President of Kazakhstan justified this decision by the fact that he does not want his country to become a victim of Western sanctions if it does not fulfill those imposed against the Russian economy. But analysts say Tokayev is interested in increasing the role of Kazakhstan, itself a producer of oil and natural gas, in supplying Europe with energy resources.

If the plans he announced on Monday go ahead, more than a third of the total oil passing through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (53 million tons) could be exported through the Caspian ports of Aktau and Kuryk.

The Kremlin says that they are already preparing for Putin’s talks with the President of Kazakhstan

Without direct reference to Tokayev’s demand, Russian state media on Monday quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that talks were planned between President Vladimir Putin and Tokayev.

“The contacts are really planned. We will inform you about it. Preparations are underway,” he said during the daily press conference, answering journalists’ questions about the meeting in Orenburg.

Peskov noted that an announcement on this matter will be made in the near future.

Despite his support, including military support, for Russia during the unprecedented protests that erupted in Kazakhstan in January, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a series of decisions to distance himself from Moscow after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in late February.

More recently, the Kazakh government announced on October 21 that it does not want to pay for Russian natural gas in rubles in the context of negotiations on the formation of a single oil and gas market in the Central Asian region.

In late October, Russian state media began talking more openly about Tokayev’s “rebellion,” saying it was causing serious concern in Moscow.