U.S. Targets Central Asia's Energy and Critical Minerals in Major Trade Push
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet the foreign ministers of the Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 19 October 2026. Rubio will be accompanied by a delegation of more than 100 U.S. companies. Was
Source: OilPrice.com
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DW NOTE
The U.S. is courting Central Asia for rare earths and energy while 800 ships sit backed up outside the Strait of Hormuz. That's not strategic diversification — that's scrambling for supply lines after letting the primary route collapse. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan now have leverage they haven't enjoyed since the 19th century.