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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, friends,

Allow me to once again extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you and welcome you to Moscow, to the Kremlin, as part of your state visit.

This is something that matters a great deal, as you and I stated yesterday. In particular, we can see that a very high-profile delegation has come to Moscow for today’s visit. It includes government members, as well as business leaders.

Russia has been steadily stepping up its relations with Kazakhstan. What we do, and how we live, demonstrate that Kazakhstan and Russia have succeeded in living up to the vision set forth in our fundamental instruments by acting as close partners, friends and reliable allies for each other.

There are also concrete deeds to prove this point. In fact, Russia is one of Kazakhstan’s leading trade and economic partners and is second to none in terms of investment. Last year, our trade was US$27 billion – in fact, it exceeded US$27 billion to reach US$27.8 billion, I believe. In 2025, trade has already totalled US$20 billion in the first nine months. As for investment, it is also in the billions, at about US$27 billion, I believe.

There are many Russian companies that have been successful in Kazakhstan, while businesses from Kazakhstan have been bringing their operations to Russia and undertaking active efforts in this regard. In this sense, we have a lot of potential because there are projects in the pipeline worth tens of billions of dollars, to use the dollar equivalent. Overall, we have reached a stage where almost 100 percent of settlements are carried out in national currencies, which, of course, we are very pleased about. After all, this offers economic operators an environment that is sound and stable.

We have been active on the international stage and take part in our regional organisations. I will not list them all. You and I have regular conversations, but we also have an upcoming meeting at the CSTO forum in Bishkek, to be followed by our traditional New Year meeting for CIS and EAEU leaders in St Petersburg.

We have an extensive programme, and it is being implemented successfully. A Memorandum has been prepared based on the results of your visit today, and it demonstrates that we are taking our relations to an even higher interstate level. This pleases us immensely; we are making every effort to further advance relations with Kazakhstan, and it must be said that we are succeeding in all respects.

When I say “all,” I refer also to our interregional ties. Nearly ten regions of the Russian Federation are actively collaborating with practically all regions of Kazakhstan. Today, we will engage in an online discussion with our colleagues in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, where they have gathered to review the results of the current year and to outline prospects for interregional cooperation in the near future.

Naturally, our cultural ties are also developing actively. All of this is underpinned by interpersonal relations and the everyday connections between our peoples. This includes the exchange of delegations and groups.

Later today, we will visit the Bolshoi Theatre – we will watch and listen to artists from Kazakhstan. At the everyday level, these connections have been developing since Soviet times, when we were part of a single state. There are many personal ties, mixed marriages and mixed families. This cannot but please us. We are building upon everything positive that we inherited from the past, and we are looking ahead as we move forward.

We are very pleased by your visit, and I am confident it will proceed at the highest level.

Thank you.

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: Thank you, Mr President,

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your exceptional hospitality. Throughout our visit, we have seen first-hand that the Russian side has prepared thoroughly, having considered even the smallest aspects and nuances of this event.

For us, this state visit to the Russian Federation is perhaps the principal event of the current year. We prepared for it meticulously, having held consultations between our respective ministries and agencies, particularly given that the scale of our cooperation is truly unique. There is not a single sphere in which we do not engage with the Russian Federation or where we do not pursue collaboration.

You have just provided a very detailed analysis of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. It is difficult for me to add anything to this. However, I would like to emphasise that the strategic partnership and allied relations between our states are not merely figures of speech or political courtesy – they represent the very essence of our cooperation, and we approach our obligations under the signed documents with the utmost responsibility.

While it is true that differences and questions may occasionally arise, life would be impossible without them, and it is gratifying that solutions are found for all issues that arise on the agenda of our working meetings and negotiations. We are pleased to note that there are no problems whatsoever in our bilateral relations.

Virtually all sectors, as you have just noted, are developing quite successfully. In trade, we have set a goal of bringing our turnover to US$30 billion. I believe this is a very realistic target, and we will reach it in the near future.

I would like to highlight our cooperation with the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear energy. We are close to signing several important agreements that will pave the way for the construction of a nuclear power plant in partnership with Rosatom. This is indeed a major milestone and a breakthrough project. It involves not only the construction of the plant itself but also the development of a new area of expertise.

We also welcome the beginning of cooperation in the sphere of education. Nine Russian universities, including several well-known institutions, have opened branches in Kazakhstan. Since I have mentioned cooperation in the nuclear sector, let me note that Russia’s National Research Nuclear University MEPhI is among them. We intend to create favourable conditions for this university to ensure that lecturers coming to Kazakhstan to share their knowledge have comfortable living and working conditions, and that the campus meets the high standards of this university. We are grateful to all representatives of Russia’s education sector for this cooperation.

I would also like to mention that the Kazakh National University has, for the first time, opened its own branch on the basis of Omsk University. This, too, is a very important event

I attach great importance to education in general, as I believe we must create opportunities for our young people, to hand over to them, in due course, the baton of friendship and cooperation so that they know each other well.

As you rightly noted, we began our joint work within a single state, a common political and humanitarian space. But the younger generation now coming into their own – those around 30–35 years old – did not experience that shared statehood. Our task is to pass on to them this baton of mutual understanding and awareness of the critical importance of developing cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation in every sphere, within today’s new historical and geopolitical reality. Our young people must understand that without such cooperation, continued stability and development in this turbulent world would be impossible.

The state visit of the President of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation at this time largely serves this purpose, and I believe this practice will continue. In this regard, I am pleased to invite you to pay a state visit to Kazakhstan next year. As you rightly said, it is not about protocol formalities but about substance: we must sign a new generation of high-level agreements and ensure their proper implementation. This is of paramount importance.

Thank you once again for your hospitality.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. I will be delighted to visit Kazakhstan.

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