Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the start of negotiations on amending existing military-technical cooperation agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Axar.az reports, citing Russian media, that the relevant orders were published on Russia's official legal information portal.

Russia signed a military-technical cooperation agreement with Kazakhstan in December 2013, which entered into force in 2015. A similar agreement with Uzbekistan was signed in November 2016. The agreements provide for the supply of weapons and military equipment, exchanges of military products, and the transfer of technology and technical documentation.

Under the agreements, Kazakhstan has acquired Su-30SM fighter jets, Mi-171 and Mi-35M helicopters, Buk-M2E air defense missile systems, and BTR-80 and BTR-82A armored personnel carriers from Russia. In 2015, Moscow also transferred five S-300PS air defense missile systems to Astana free of charge as part of a joint regional air defense system.

Between 2017 and 2019, Uzbekistan received 12 Mi-35M attack helicopters financed through a Russian state export credit. The country has also modernized about 30 MiG-29 fighter jets. Moscow and Tashkent have also discussed the possible supply of Su-30SM fighter jets, Sopka-2 radar systems and Pechora-2M air defense missile systems.

Unlike Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which links bilateral military-technical cooperation with broader collective defense mechanisms. Russia and Uzbekistan also have a separate agreement on the joint use of the two countries' air forces and air defense forces.