Kazakhstan ready to transport more Russian gas, oil – Kazakh President

Kazakhstan is ready to transport more Russian oil and gas, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the Russian daily Izvestia in remarks published early on Wednesday, a day before President Vladimir Putin was set to visit his country.
After initially trying to distance itself from Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the central Asian country seems to be warming to a “gas union” idea that Putin proposed last year and which would also involve Uzbekistan.
Tokayev was quoted as saying, “We are interested in making full use of our transit potential and are ready to further increase the volume of Russian gas transportation.”
Keen to boost sales of its energy and commodities in Asia, after being hit by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Putin proposed the “gas union” idea late last year to support shipments between the three countries and to other energy buyers, including China.
Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a “special military operation.”