Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the start of negotiations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to amend the existing agreements on military-technical cooperation. The relevant directives have been published on Russia’s legal acts portal, Kommersant reports.

Russia concluded a military-technical cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan in December 2013, and the document was ratified in 2015. A similar agreement with Uzbekistan was signed in November 2016. The treaties provide for the supply of weapons and military equipment, the exchange of defense-related products, and the transfer of technologies and technical documentation.

As part of the cooperation, Kazakhstan in recent years received from Russia Su-30SM fighter jets, the number of which reached 20 by 2022, Mi-171Sh and Mi-35M helicopters, Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile systems, as well as BTR-80 and BTR-82A armored personnel carriers. In 2015, Moscow also transferred to Astana five S-300PS surface-to-air missile systems free of charge as part of the creation of a unified regional air defense system.

In 2017–2019, Uzbekistan received 12 Mi-35M attack helicopters supplied through a state export credit. In addition, the republic modernized around 30 MiG-29 fighter jets. Moscow and Tashkent also discussed possible deliveries of Su-30SM fighter jets, the Sopka-2 radar system, and equipment for the Pechora-2M surface-to-air missile systems.

Kazakhstan, unlike Uzbekistan, is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which ties bilateral military-technical cooperation to broader collective defense mechanisms. With Uzbekistan, a separate agreement is in force on the joint use of the two countries’ air forces and air defense troops.