ASTANA, May 27. /TASS/. The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Russia increased by 16% in the first quarter of this year to $6.46 bln, the press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan said.

"The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Russia amounted to $6.46 bln in January-March 2026, having increased by 16.1% against the like period of the last year, when the figure was $5.56 bln. Russia keeps the status of one of key trade partners of Kazakhstan, ranking second by the volume of mutual trade and remaining the critical destination for imports, industrial cooperation and production supplies," the ministry informed.

Kazakhstan's exports to Russia were formed mainly from the products of the metallurgical and commodity industries. Among the main export goods are hot-rolled flat products made of non-alloy steel, iron ore and concentrates, clad flat products, cold-rolled flat products, aluminum oxides and hydroxides, coal and raw zinc.

"Imports from Russia in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 28.5% and reached $4.96 bln. The significant increase was supported by the rise in supplies of strategic goods and industrial products. The most noticeable dynamics was recorded in uranium imports, the volume of which increased by 2,486 times to $258.5 mln. Natural gas supplies increased significantly by 93.4%, to $499 mln, along with growth of gold supplies in unprocessed and semi-processed form by 36.5 times, to $211.2 mln," the press service said. An increase in imports was noted for oil products, wheat, ore and concentrates of precious metals, as well as for railcars.

The positive dynamics of mutual trade reflects the high level of economic integration of Kazakhstan and Russia, the expansion of industrial cooperation and steady demand for the products of key industries of the two countries, the ministry noted.

The trade turnover between Russia and Kazakhstan in 2025, according to the Kazakh side, amounted to about $27.4 bln. Most of the trade came from imports - Kazakhstan purchased goods from Russia for $19.2 bln, and exports from the country to the Russian Federation amounted to about $8.14 bln.