The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has officially commented on Kazakhstan’s position regarding the recent strike on the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) at the seaport of Novorossiysk, emphasizing that Ukrainian actions are not intended to harm the Republic of Kazakhstan or any other third countries.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Ukraine Responded to Kazakhstan’s Protest
In Kyiv, it was emphasized that Ukraine took into account the concerns of the Kazakh side following the attack on one of the CPC’s berths, which occurred on the night of November 29. As reported by the operating company, this attack severely complicated the transportation of Kazakh oil to the port of Novorossiysk, from where it is unloaded onto tankers.
“No actions by the Ukrainian side are directed against the Republic of Kazakhstan or other third parties – all of Ukraine’s efforts are focused on repelling the full-scale Russian aggression within the framework of the guaranteed right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Within the framework of calibrated and strategically justified defensive operations, the Ukrainian Defense Forces systematically weaken the military-industrial potential of the aggressor and deprive it of the means to conduct a criminal aggressive war and kill our people – Ukraine responds to the strikes and attacks of the aggressor,” the statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reads.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also noted that the Kazakh side had not previously condemned the shelling by the Russian Federation directed against the civilian population, residential, and energy infrastructure of Ukraine, including the substations of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Context of Relations Between Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation
Just recently, Russia carried out a large-scale combined attack with missiles and drones against Ukraine, which lasted for nine hours. As a result, there were casualties among the civilian population, and about 500,000 residents of Kyiv and over 100,000 inhabitants of the Kyiv region were left without electricity.
Kazakhstan officially declares its neutrality in the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, although it is an ally of Russia in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and maintains close relations with Moscow. At the same time, Astana did not support the occupation and attempts to annex Ukrainian territories by the Russian Federation and is trying to avoid secondary sanctions in trade.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is a large international project that unites Kazakhstan, Russia, and leading global oil extraction companies. The pipeline stretches approximately 1,500 kilometers and primarily transports oil from western Kazakhstan and partially from Russia. The shares in the CPC are distributed as follows: Russia owns 24% of the shares, Kazakhstan 19%, and the remainder belongs to several major Western oil companies.
Earlier, on November 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan expressed a protest over the attack on the CPC infrastructure in the port of Novorossiysk, placing the responsibility for the strike on Ukraine, although Kyiv has not officially confirmed its involvement in this event.