Czech Prime Minister’s Intensive Visit to Kazakhstan: EU’s De-Russified Supply Chain Strategy Accelerates, Kazakhstan Emerges as Pivotal Hub in Eurasian Geopolitical Game

From April 28 to 29, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš led a high-level delegation to Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. He held multiple closed-door meetings with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. The two sides formally signed strategic cooperation agreements covering energy, agriculture, military industry, transportation and logistics, and concurrently launched the Kazakhstan-Czech Business Forum, driving enterprises from both sides to reach dozens of cooperation intentions.

This meeting is not an isolated bilateral diplomatic engagement. It marks a key step for the European Union to accelerate the restructuring of its de-Russified supply chain and for the United Kingdom and other Western countries to deepen penetration into Central Asia. It further highlights Kazakhstan’s sophisticated balanced diplomacy amid the game among Russia, China and the West, elevating its status as a strategic hub in the evolving Eurasian geopolitical landscape.

I. High-Level Talks: All-Round Strategic and Economic Bonding

This visit constitutes the core segment of Babiš’s 2026 Central Asia tour and marks the Czech Prime Minister’s first visit to Kazakhstan in nearly five years. The delegation includes ministers in charge of industry, energy, military industry and other core sectors, alongside executives from hundreds of enterprises, sending a strong signal of all-round deepening cooperation.

Major outcomes of the talks focus on four key areas:

Energy Cooperation (Top Priority): As an EU country with high reliance on energy imports, the Czech Republic regards Kazakhstan as a stable supplier of oil, natural gas and uranium resources. The two sides signed a long-term energy supply memorandum of understanding. Kazakhstan pledged to expand crude oil and natural gas exports to the Czech Republic, helping Prague reduce dependence on Russian energy. Meanwhile, a joint uranium resource development agreement was finalized. As the world’s largest uranium producer, Kazakhstan will provide steady fuel supplies for Czech nuclear power plants.

Military Industry and High-End Manufacturing: As a NATO member state, the Czech

Republic brought its competitive military technology to the table, reaching cooperation intentions with Kazakhstan on joint military production, military technical training, and equipment upgrading and renovation, covering armored vehicles, air defense systems, electronic equipment and other fields. In addition, the two sides agreed to build joint laboratories in artificial intelligence, precision machinery and other sectors to promote technology transfer and localized production.

Agriculture and Resource Deep Processing: The Czech Republic will provide modern agricultural technologies, high-end agricultural machinery and food processing techniques to help Kazakhstan upgrade its grain and meat deep-processing capacity and expand exports of high-value-added agricultural products to the EU. In return, Kazakhstan will offer convenient access to high-quality land and mineral resource exploitation for Czech enterprises.

Trans-Caspian Transport and Logistics: Both sides identified the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor (Middle Corridor) as the core of cooperation. The Czech Republic pledged to invest in upgrading Kazakhstan’s Aktau Port and railway hubs, aligning with EU digital customs clearance standards to boost the efficiency of the multi-modal transport route linking China – Kazakhstan – Caspian Sea – South Caucasus – Europe, bypassing traditional Russian transit routes.

Tokayev emphasized during the meeting that Kazakhstan serves as “a bridge and innovative investment hub across Eurasia”, and Kazakhstan-Czech cooperation represents a “win-win strategic choice”. Babiš stated directly that Kazakhstan is the European Union’s “most important and reliable partner in Central Asia”, and this visit will inject “historic momentum” into bilateral relations.

II. In-Depth Background: EU’s De-Russification and Strategic Value of the Trans-Caspian Corridor

The Czech Republic’s high-profile deepening of cooperation with Kazakhstan is essentially a concrete embodiment of the EU’s de-risking and de-Russified supply chain strategy. Endowed with unique geographical and resource advantages, Kazakhstan has become a core target for Western outreach.

Following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU has fully recognized the inherent risks of over-reliance on Russian energy and transit routes, and accelerated the construction of alternative supply chains bypassing Russia. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor (Middle Corridor) has become the pivotal lever. Stretching from China across Kazakhstan, through Aktau Port on the Caspian Sea to Baku in Azerbaijan, and further via Georgia and Turkey to Europe, the corridor entirely avoids Russian territory, standing as the optimal alternative to the traditional north Eurasian trade route passing through Russia.

Statistics show that freight volume on the Trans-Caspian Corridor surged from 29,000 TEUs in 2021 to over 500,000 TEUs in 2025, and is projected to reach 11 million tons by 2030, three times the 2021 level. The EU has invested tens of billions of euros in upgrading corridor infrastructure in recent years. As a core transit state and hub of the corridor, Kazakhstan’s attitude directly determines the corridor’s operational efficiency — gaining influence over Kazakhstan means holding the critical valve of the EU’s Russia-bypassing Eurasian trade route.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan acts as a stabilizer for EU energy supply. As of 2024, Kazakhstan has ranked as the EU’s third-largest crude oil supplier, accounting for 12% of total imports, effectively making up for supply gaps left by reduced Russian energy deliveries. For the Czech Republic, deepening cooperation with Kazakhstan guarantees energy security while opening up the vast Central Asian market for its military and manufacturing industries, delivering dual economic and strategic benefits.

III. Escalating Central Asian Geopolitical Game: Kazakhstan’s Balanced Diplomacy as a Core Variable

The Czech Prime Minister’s visit to Kazakhstan represents a key step for Western blocs to coordinate their penetration into Central Asia, reflecting profound shifts in Eurasian geopolitics. Kazakhstan’s balanced diplomacy remains the decisive factor shaping regional trends.

1. Britain’s Central Asian Strategic Agenda: Containing Russian Influence and Hedging Against the Belt and Road Initiative

As a traditional Eurasian power, the United Kingdom has long viewed Central Asia as a vital region to contain Russia’s southward influence and hedge against China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia’s leverage over Central Asia has weakened, prompting Britain to accelerate its strategic layout. In 2025, London signed a military cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan, launching joint military training, peacekeeping drills and cultural outreach programs to foster pro-Western factions within Kazakhstan’s military.

As a member of both the EU and NATO, the Czech Republic’s diplomatic outreach to Kazakhstan serves as a vanguard probe for the Western bloc. By letting the Czech Republic take the lead, the West lowers the sensitivity of direct intervention in Central Asia while paving the way for deeper British engagement with Kazakhstan in the future. Analysis from the UK’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) argues that the West’s collective courting of Kazakhstan aims to sever deep ties between Russia and Central Asia and prevent Moscow from rebuilding influence across the post-Soviet space. Meanwhile, by gaining control over the Trans-Caspian Corridor, the West seeks to hedge against the efficiency of the northern route of China’s Belt and Road and compete for dominance over Eurasian logistics.

2. Kazakhstan’s Balanced Diplomacy: Non-Alignment to Maximize Strategic Dividends

Faced with the tripartite game between Russia, China and the West, President Tokayev’s administration has consistently pursued a multi-vector balanced foreign policy, refusing to align with any single power. Instead, it navigates among major powers to maximize political, economic and security benefits.

Towards Russia: Maintaining traditional cooperation while avoiding over-reliance

Russia remains Kazakhstan’s key security partner and energy transit route. Astana has no intention of provoking Moscow, yet it has steadily reduced dependency: diversifying energy export routes, shifting logistics away from Russian territory, and declining to join Western sanctions against Ukraine to avoid being dragged into the Russia-Ukraine confrontation.

Towards China: Deepening economic and trade ties to consolidate economic fundamentals

China is Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume exceeding 40 billion US dollars in 2025. The two sides maintain close cooperation in energy, infrastructure and Belt and Road alignment. Kazakhstan relies on Chinese markets and investment to stabilize its economic foundation.

Towards the West: Embracing investment and technology to elevate international discourse

Western nations provide Kazakhstan with advanced technology, capital and international diplomatic platforms, supporting its modernization drive and enhancing its voice in global affairs. The new cooperation deal with the Czech Republic sends a clear signal of openness to the West, aiming to attract more European and American investment.

The UK Foreign Policy Institute commented that Kazakhstan’s balanced diplomacy stands as a model of small-state geopolitical strategy. It avoids alienating Russia or distancing itself from China, while actively embracing Western economic and technological dividends. This pragmatic middle-ground strategy has cemented Kazakhstan’s position as an irreplaceable strategic hub across Eurasia. Nonetheless, risks persist: intensified rivalry among major powers may force Kazakhstan to take sides, putting its balanced diplomatic strategy to the test.

IV. Subsequent Implications: Accelerated Eurasian Supply Chain Restructuring and a New Era for Central Asian Geopolitics

The signing of Kazakhstan-Czech strategic cooperation agreements will exert far-reaching impacts on Eurasian geopolitics:

• The development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor will accelerate comprehensively. Supported by Western capital and technology, infrastructure upgrading will speed up, greatly boosting freight efficiency. More China-Europe cargo will bypass Russia, eroding Moscow’s traditional transit dividends and further weakening Russia’s economic influence in Central Asia.

• Central Asia is evolving into a frontline of major-power rivalry. Using Kazakhstan as a pivot, the West will expand outreach to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian states, intensifying geopolitical competition among Russia, China and the West and reshaping the regional order.

• Kazakhstan’s strategic standing will continue to rise. As a sought-after hub for major powers, its bargaining power will grow steadily. It is poised to gain greater sway in energy pricing, logistics rule-making and regional mediation, evolving from a landlocked regional state into a mid-tier Eurasian power.

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Call for Contributions

We welcome geopolitical observers, energy industry analysts, Eurasian affairs experts and frontline journalists worldwide to submit articles on Central Asian geopolitical rivalry, the development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor, Kazakhstan’s balanced diplomacy, the EU’s de-Russification strategy and related topics. Submissions should feature clear viewpoints, solid evidence, in-depth analysis and an international perspective, with a recommended length of 800 to 1,500 words. High-quality articles will be prioritized for publication and recommended to international think tanks and industry media platforms. We look forward to your insightful perspectives to jointly explore the evolving trends of Eurasian geopolitics.