Kazakhstan to supply coal to EU via Russian ports

The European Union has exempted transactions involving certain Russian ports for the transit of Kazakh coal from the ban under its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, the press service of the Kazakh Trade and Integration ministry said.

The ministry recalled that in February 2025, as part of the 16th sanctions package, the EU imposed a ban on any transactions with a number of Russian ports.

"This threatened the stability of Kazakh coal exports to Europe. In particular, the Trade Ministry said that the port of Ust-Luga has historically been used as a key transit point for Kazakh coal to Europe," the statement reads.

To resolve the situation, the Kazakh side sent an official request to the European Commission to introduce corresponding amendments to the EU sanctions regime, Sputnik Kazakhstan reported.

Following negotiations, the European side introduced amendments as part of the 18th sanctions package.

According to the ministry, the measures taken allow for the expectation of restoring Kazakh coal supplies to the EU.