Kazakhstan's EU oil exports fall 11% in H1 2026 as Asia shipments rise

AI digestMimile.ai EditorialAugust 21, 2026 at 10:41 PM

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Kazakhstan's EU oil exports fall 11% in H1 2026 as Asia shipments rise

Kazakhstan's oil exports to the European Union fell 11% to 26.09 million tonnes in the first half of 2026, according to the Bureau of National Statistics. Shipments to Asia rose 16% to 6.19 million tonnes, offsetting about a quarter of the lost European volumes. The EU still received over 70% of Kazakhstan's total oil and gas condensate exports of 36.5 million tonnes.

Key Facts

Kazakhstan exported 26.09 million tonnes of oil to the EU in January–June 2026, down from 29.32 million tonnes a year earlier.
Oil shipments to Asia rose 16% to 6.19 million tonnes in the first half of 2026.
Total oil and gas condensate exports fell about 8% to 36.5 million tonnes in H1 2026.
Turkey increased purchases of Kazakh oil by 80% to about 2.1 million tonnes in the first half of 2026.
Singapore tripled imports of Kazakh oil to 1.49 million tonnes in January–June 2026.

EU Market Share

The European Union received over 70% of Kazakhstan's total oil and gas condensate exports of 36.5 million tonnes in the first half of 2026. Italy remained the largest buyer, importing 11.75 million tonnes, down about 19% from 14.43 million tonnes a year earlier. Exports to Greece fell 15%, Spain 21%, Romania 25%, Germany 2%, and the Netherlands about 1%. France increased purchases by 28% in the same period. Kazakhstan ranked third among crude oil suppliers to the EU in 2025, after the United States and Norway.

Export Constraints

Total oil and gas condensate exports fell about 8% to 36.5 million tonnes in January–June 2026. Restrictions at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk were a main cause of the decline. The suspension of supplies to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline and lower domestic production added pressure. Most Kazakh oil exports transit through the CPC pipeline, making the country vulnerable to disruptions there.

Asian Market Growth

Turkey increased purchases of Kazakh oil by 80% to about 2.1 million tonnes in the first half of 2026. Kazakhstan became the third-largest oil supplier to Turkish refineries after Russia and Iraq, providing about 11.7% of imports. The Turkish route allows Kazakhstan to ship oil via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, reducing reliance on Russian transit infrastructure. Singapore tripled imports of Kazakh oil to 1.49 million tonnes in January–June 2026. South Korea increased purchases by 17% to 772,000 tonnes.

1 source

Kazakhstan's EU oil exports fall 11% in H1 2026 as Asia shipments rise

inbusiness.kz

Inbusiness.kz

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Kazakhstan's oil exports rose 3% to over 21.9 million tons in the first half of 2026, despite a sharp drop in demand from its main buyer Italy, according to Lada.kz citing LS. The shift reflects a reorientation of export flows as Italy's share declined.

Finance

Kazakhstan may have lost over $700 million in July from CPC pipeline attacks, expert says

Kazakhstan's oil and gas production fell 14% in July from the previous month, costing the country an estimated over $700 million in potential revenue, oil expert Olzhas Baidildinov said. The decline followed repeated shutdowns at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal due to drone attacks on tankers, halving output on some days and hitting exports that normally carry more than 80% of Kazakh oil.

Finance

Kazakhstan's oil route vulnerability persists despite alternative expansion

Kazakhstan's main oil export route via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium remains vulnerable after recent tanker attacks near the Black Sea terminal. The attacks, which hit three tankers loading Kazakh crude between July 17 and 20, forced repeated suspensions and exposed Astana's dependence on infrastructure crossing Russian territory.

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Kazakhstan's Multivector Foreign Policy Reaches Limit as EU, US Tighten Sanctions

Kazakhstan's longstanding multivector foreign policy has reached its limits, according to political analyst Asylbek Beisembayev. The EU's 21st sanctions package and potential new US restrictions on Russia increasingly constrain Kazakhstan's ability to balance between Western partners and Moscow, given its critical dependence on oil exports transiting Russian territory. The era of multi-vector diplomacy is effectively over, Beisembayev argues.

Kazakhstan's EU oil exports fall 11% in H1 2026 as Asia shipments rise

Key Facts

EU Market Share

Export Constraints

Asian Market Growth

Perspectives

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Perspectives

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