Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a two-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with his Central Asian ally as tensions mount over the Ukraine war.
Kazakhstan is a member of the Moscow-led CSTO security alliance but has expressed concern about the almost three-year conflict, which Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has refused to condone.
In an article published in Russia’s Izvestia newspaper ahead of Putin’s visit, Tokayev emphasised his country’s support for “peaceful dialogue”, without mentioning Ukraine.
Putin praised Kazakhstan’s “close (to Russian) cultural, spiritual and moral values” in an article published in a state-run Kazakh paper, saying he was ready to further develop “friendly and allied relations” with Astana.
Trade ties between the two countries have frayed in recent months, with Moscow banning some Kazakh agricultural exports a day after the Central Asian state refused to join BRICS.
Putin has made expanding the alliance of …