Blinken vows support for Central Asian nations' independence in bid to weaken Russia's influence

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on Tuesday, as part of a drive to deepen US engagement with Central Asian nations against the backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Upon arrival in the Kazakh capital Astana, Washington's top diplomat said no country can ignore the threats posed by Russian aggression, not only to their territory but to the international rules-based order and the global economy.

"I reaffirmed the United States' unwavering support for Kazakhstan, like all nations, to freely determine its future," Blinken said after a meeting with the foreign ministers of the so-called C5+1 group, made up of the US and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberd thanked his US counterpart for the commitment to his country's freedom.

But he signaled that Kazakhstan was unlikely to adopt either a pro-Russian or pro-Western position, but would continue to act in its own national interest given “the complex international situation”.

Tileuberdi said that while Kazakhstan has very close and historic ties with both Russia and Ukraine, it would not allow its territory to be used for any Russian aggression or sanctions evasion.

He also said that even though Kazakhstan shares the world’s longest land border with Russia, it did not see a threat from Moscow.

Blinken, who later flew on to the Uzbek capital Tashkent, said the US was "watching compliance with sanctions very closely". He added that Washington was giving companies time to detach themselves from Russian firms sanctioned by the West over Ukraine.

He announced $25 million in economic support, on top of $25 million already committed by the Biden administration to the region.

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