Russia Discusses 'Gas Union' With Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan

Russia is discussing a possible gas union with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to support shipments, senior Russian officials said on Tuesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the details of the agreement were yet to be discussed, but the key idea was coordinating supply plans. 

He cited the example of northern Kazakhstan which imports gas from Russia and where the Astana government is considering building a pipeline to provide the region with Kazakh gas.

Russia is increasing production in nearby eastern Siberia, he said, hinting that Kazakhstan could avoid spending “tens of billions of dollars” on pipelines by committing to Russian imports.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s spokesman also said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed such an idea in a meeting with Tokayev on Monday.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are connected by a gas pipeline to Russia, and a separate pipeline crosses both on its way to China.