Kazakhstan seeks new fuel partners amid shortages and rising costs

Kazakhstan is exploring new ways to secure its fuel supplies. The country is in talks with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and China to address shortages and rising costs of aviation kerosene and gasoline. Astana has begun negotiations to import aviation kerosene from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and China. In December 2025, a trial shipment of kerosene arrived in Kazakhstan from China. Meanwhile, Russian aviation fuel prices at airports have climbed by an average of 17%.

Russia is discussing a deal with Kazakhstan to supply around 50,000 tons of AI-92 gasoline in exchange for Russian aviation fuel. Kazakhstan had initially planned to buy 300,000 tons of aviation fuel from Russia but received only 186,000 tons.

To ease supply constraints, Kazakhstan is considering removing import duties on gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel from third countries, especially China. Chinese fuel could act as a backup source, though it may not always be cheaper. Additionally, the country is reviewing plans to expand the transit of Russian oil to China, potentially increasing transit volumes by about 2.5 million tons. The proposed measures aim to stabilise Kazakhstan’s fuel market. Expanding imports and transit routes could help meet domestic demand and strengthen energy cooperation with neighbouring countries. The moves follow recent price increases and supply shortfalls in Russian aviation fuel.