Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived May 27 in Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to participate in a three-day state visit. A high point of his visit occurred on May 28, when Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met at the Palace of Independence in Astana to sign a ground-breaking agreement to build a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, a country of 20.5 million people. The plant, which will have two reactors and is to be completed by 2035, will have an installed generating capacity of 2.4 gigawatts. It is reported that Russia will lend Kazakhstan around 85% of the $16.5 billion cost.