Rubio Meets Central Asian Leaders in Bid to Boost Trade, Security

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Monday with leaders from five Muslim-majority Central Asian countries—all former Soviet Union states—to build economic and security ties in the region.

The C5+1 diplomatic forum, which brings the United States together with top officials from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, took place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s second-largest city.

Washington has characterized the resource-rich Central Asia region, which lies between China, Russia and Iran, as worthy of more attention than it has received from U.S. President Donald Trump’s predecessors.

Rubio said in a post on X that they were creating commercial opportunities, strengthening economies, and increasing regional security.

“In every priority sector—from critical minerals and energy to transportation and technology—our cooperation means more jobs, more prosperity, and greater security for all our nations,” he added.

Trump hosted C5 leaders at the White House last November, when Kazakhstan agreed to join the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements under which Muslim ​countries have normalized diplomatic relations with Israel.

He met separately with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025.

Speaking to reporters before leaving Washington on Saturday, Rubio said the timing of the Uzbekistan trip was partly determined by the delegations’ availability. He said foreign trips too often focus on resolving immediate issues rather than building long-term relationships.

“I mean, one of the things that suffers is the strategic business,” Rubio told reporters. “You’re always visiting someplace where there’s a crisis or there’s a problem or ... you’re going because there’s a conference.”

Moscow Ties

All C5 countries have deep historical ties with Moscow, and the region has facilitated Russian imports and exports that violate U.S. and European Union sanctions, according to officials in the West.

Trump struck a deal with Moscow this month to import Russian diesel, aimed at lowering fuel prices for Americans before November’s midterm elections.

Trump issued an executive order on Friday waiving provisions of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.

The provisions could have imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, as well as the five leading countries facilitating evasion of Russian oil sanctions, based on the 12 months before the legislation was enacted in September.

Neither the act nor the executive order named any countries.

A proposed congressional amendment to the act attempted to designate ten countries as eligible for the tariffs. It identified India and China as two of 10 potential tariff targets. It also named Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Slovakia, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. The House Rules Committee rejected a motion last month to consider the amendment.

Trump said the waiver was in the national interest of the United States.

India Trade Deal

India, which Rubio is due to visit after ​Uzbekistan, remains the world’s second-largest importer of Russian crude after China. This was regarded as a potential stumbling block in negotiations for a new trade deal between the United States and India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration warned last month that the new tariff measures on Russia could hurt ​bilateral ties, adding to diplomatic strain and trade uncertainty.

“We are trying to finalize a trade deal with India right now, and we are very close to doing that. So, that’s one of the things we take into consideration when the President makes a decision about national security waivers,” Rubio told reporters ​in Uzbekistan on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.