ASTANA, May 26. /Dunyo IA/. Kazakhstan is exploring options to initiate the export of crude oil and refined petroleum products to Uzbekistan, potentially marking a new milestone in bilateral energy partnership, reports Dunyo IA correspondent, citing with the reference of the Kazakh outlet “dprom.kz”.

The statement was made by the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Yerlan Akkenzhenov, on the sidelines of the Regional Environmental Summit (RES 2026) convened in Astana.

According to him, in addition to the transit of Russian oil and gas to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan is ready to supply its neighbor with its own crude oil and petroleum products. This matter is currently under evaluation. The parties are also discussing joint projects in the petrochemical sector and the modernization of oil refining capacities.

Uzbekistan's interest in energy imports continues to grow. According to the republic's Customs Committee, in the first quarter of 2026, the import of crude oil and petroleum products increased by 42.2% – to 449.1 million US dollars compared to 315.9 million dollars a year earlier.

Gasoline supplies during this period more than doubled – to 428.2 million liters, while diesel fuel imports increased by 38%, reaching 125.5 thousand tons.

Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reported that Moscow and Tashkent had agreed to continue oil and gas supplies with an increase in their volumes.