Rubio heads to Central Asia while other US officials hit foreign policy hot spots

While the Iran conflict continues, Saudi Arabia confronts the Houthi rebellion and a burgeoning divide in US-Ukraine relations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarks on a journey to Uzbekistan on Sunday. The US diplomat is set to meet with leaders from the C5+1 alliance, which comprises the United States and the Muslim-majority post-Soviet countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

US officials have emphasized the importance of Central Asia — a region abundant in resources situated between China, Russia, and Iran — in comparison to the focus given by the administrations preceding President Donald Trump. In November 2022, Trump hosted C5 leaders at the White House, marking a milestone as Kazakhstan agreed to join the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements aimed at normalizing or enhancing relations between Muslim-majority countries and Israel.

Trump also met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the United Nations General Assembly the previous September. This trip aligns with a pattern where Rubio frequently visits regions that do not garner much media attention, while other US officials, including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Vice President JD Vance, focus on more contentious foreign policy arenas.

Notably, Rubio has not visited Kyiv or Moscow since taking office as Secretary of State and did not attend the talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida earlier this month, where US officials urged Ukraine to cease targeting Russian refineries. Vance, rather than Rubio, represented the US in Pakistan during peace talks with Iran in April.

Rubio's last foreign trip, earlier this month, took him to Greece, Portugal, and Iceland. Prior to that, cabinet-level officials have been discouraged from emphasizing geopolitical capitals and crisis-stricken areas. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau dismissed the notion, stating that it epitomizes the excess and decay of the current US foreign policy establishment.

A Central Asian diplomat, speaking anonymously, questioned the extent to which the US will continue targeting Russian sanctions evasion. All C5 states, while growing closer to the US, maintain deep historical ties with Moscow, facilitating Russian imports and exports that breach US and EU sanctions, according to Western officials.

The Trump administration recently struck a deal with Moscow to import Russian diesel, a move to alleviate domestic fuel prices before the midterm elections. On Friday, Trump waived the provisions of legislation that would have enabled him to impose hefty tariffs on countries that purchase substantial quantities of Russian crude or assist Moscow in evading sanctions, potentially affecting nations like India and Kazakhstan.

India, which Rubio will visit after Uzbekistan, remains the world's second-largest importer of Russian crude, despite Trump's assertion in February that India had pledged to stop buying oil from Russia. Questions also surround a possible trade agreement with India and the expansion of the Abraham Accords in Central Asia. A US official, speaking anonymously, indicated that a deal is "pretty much done," suggesting an announcement during Rubio's visit.

Furthermore, talks with additional Central Asian nations regarding participation in the Abraham Accords might continue in Samarkand. Over 200 business executives will join Rubio in Uzbekistan, according to the State Department. The Central Asian diplomat revealed that the Trump administration has prioritized expanding access to Central Asia's rare earth mineral resources during the trip.

Rubio will conclude his journey in India, where he previously visited five months ago, to meet with business leaders, including Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who gained favor with the Trump administration by endorsing a new refinery in Texas.