U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that he intends to visit all five Central Asian countries in 2026, signaling a renewed American push to strengthen engagement with the resource-rich region amid rising geopolitical competition with Russia and China.
Rubio made the announcement during a reception at the State Department attended by the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, on the eve of their presidents’ meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
The summit, set for Thursday, is expected to focus on expanding cooperation in the development of rare earth minerals and other strategic resources.
“You are looking to take the resources that God has blessed your nations with and turn them into responsible development that allows you to diversify your economies,” Rubio said. “I personally intend to visit in the coming year, all five countries. It will probably be a week-long trip, and we’ve got to work on making that happen together.”
The visit will form part of a broader Trump administration initiative to increase U.S. political and economic influence in Central Asia, a region still economically intertwined with Russia and increasingly shaped by Chinese investment.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who addressed the event before Rubio, said President Trump’s invitation to the five Central Asian leaders reflected a personal commitment to deepening U.S. engagement in the region.
Landau and Sergio Gor, the U.S. ambassador to India and Trump’s special envoy to Central Asia, recently toured Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to prepare agreements expected to be unveiled during the Washington summit.
“The opportunities are amazing, business opportunities, many ways to partner there,” Landau said, emphasizing the region’s untapped potential in trade and investment.
Senator James Risch, a Republican and longtime advocate for freer trade, also announced plans to introduce legislation this week to repeal the Cold War-era Jackson–Vanik amendment, which restricts U.S. trade with non-market economies.
Rubio’s planned 2026 tour underscores Washington’s growing interest in Central Asia’s strategic and economic value as it seeks to offer an alternative to Russian and Chinese dominance in the region.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
