Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins Central Asia tour amid regional tensions over Russia

Holly Patrick
Tuesday 28 February 2023 12:24 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Antony Blinken visited Astana, Kazakhstan, as he began his tour of Central Asia amid heightened tensions over Russia.

The US Secretary will visit the capitals of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in his first trip to the region as Joe Biden’s top diplomat just days after the 24 February anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Leaders in the region have been emboldened to stand up to Moscow, sensing that Russia has been weakened by the war, as Vladimir Putin’s nation looks to their markets and trade routes in a bid to circumvent Western sanctions.

The Biden administration is stepping up engagement with Central Asia to demonstrate the benefits of cooperating with the US as countries face economic fallout from the conflict to the West.

In a seven-minute tirade, Emomali Rakhmon, the leader of Tajikistan, criticised Moscow for not changing their attitudes to the region since the Soviet era.

“We want respect. Nothing else. Respect,” he said back in October 2022.

Click here to sign up for our newsletters.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in