The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Kazakhstan as an issue concerning the sovereign state of Kazakhstan.

The French president arrived in Kazakhstan today, Wednesday, in the first stop of his Central Asia tour, during which he will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This oil-rich country has emerged as an alternative supplier of crude oil to European countries that have stopped Russian supplies and is an important link in the new trade route between China and Europe that bypasses Russia.

In addition to oil, Kazakhstan is a major source of uranium, with the French company Orano already operating a joint project with the state nuclear company Kazatomprom.

Also, in his comment on this visit, Peskov said today, Wednesday, that Kazakhstan is a sovereign state and develops its relations with other countries according to its own assessment, and at the same time "enjoys a strategic partnership with Russia, and Russia and Kazakhstan are allies."

Peskov continued that the importance of the Russian side in the uranium market is hard to overestimate despite any competition.

Previously, France and the European Union relied on uranium supplies from Niger (24% as of 2021), and from Russia (20%), while exports from Kazakhstan accounted for 23% (according to European Supply Agency ESA statistics). After the coup in Niger, the new authorities in the country halted uranium supplies to France, and the European Union is currently considering the possibility of abandoning Russian uranium as part of international sanctions, but so far the EU has not been able to find enough fuel from other suppliers. At the same time, according to the World Nuclear Association, demand for uranium will increase by one-third by 2030.