Europe makes an exception for Kazakh coal

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan has reached an agreement on coal supplies to Europe.

Background

In February 2025, as part of its 16th sanctions package, the European Union banned any transactions with a number of Russian ports. This created a threat to Kazakhstan’s coal exports to Europe — particularly through the Ust-Luga port, which had long been the main delivery route.

To resolve the issue, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with Kazakhstan’s mission to the EU, held negotiations with the European side. An official request was sent to the European Commission to introduce exemptions to the sanctions regime.

What was agreed

As a result, in the EU’s 18th sanctions package, exemptions were approved. Kazakhstan can now transit coal through certain Russian ports again — but under specific conditions:

The coal must be exclusively of Kazakh origin;
Its owner must not be an entity from a sanctioned country;
The ports may be used only for transit — without storage, purchase, or processing.

Reference: In 2022, Kazakhstan supplied 4.4 million tons of coal to the EU worth $419.2 million. In 2023 — 6.1 million tons worth $382 million. In 2024 — 5.2 million tons worth $312.5 million. From January to May 2025 — 1.6 million tons worth $82.9 million (38.5% of total exports).