Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Central Asia hoping that greater U.S.

engagement will reassure previous Soviet republics rattled by the Ukraine war, although Russias historical influence limits the level of cooperation.Days after the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, the leading U.S.

diplomat will hold talks Tuesday in Kazakhstan and after that Uzbekistan and meet jointly with foreign ministers of all five ex-Soviet Central Asian states in Kazakhstans capital Astana.Donald Lu, the top U.S.

diplomat for South and Central Asia, said the United States was reasonable that the five nations were not going to end their relationships with Russia or their other giant neighbor, China, which has actually been increasing its own presence.But he stated Blinken would show that the United States is a reliable partner and various from Moscow and Beijing.

We have something to provide in regards to engagement financially, but we also have something to use in terms of the worths that we bring to the table, Lu told reporters.After a year of taking a trip the world to rally support for Ukraine, Blinkens mission might be his most subtle yet.Diplomats and specialists state that Central Asian leaders are strolling a tightrope due to official security agreements with Moscow and Russias frustrating security and economic influence, including as a destination for laborers.All 5 abstained or did not vote as the UN General Assembly on Thursday required that Russian forces leave Ukraine.For the United States, the sky is the limitation in Central Asia right now, stated Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, an expert on the region at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the University of Pittsburgh.

There is a real desire among the leaders of these countries to move far from Russia.

I think they recognize that Russia is a danger to them, however by location, theres really little they can do about it, and their financial situation doesnt provide a lot of options, she stated.

So I think theres a real chance for the United States to be creative, to engage with the leaders of these nations and sort of satisfy them where they are.

Complex stanceKazakhstan, with which Russia has its longest land border, has among the most complex relationships with Moscow.

It has actually born in mind the rights of its large ethnic Russian minority-- even more so after President Vladimir Putin pointed to Ukraines treatment of Russian speakers in validating his invasion.Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who will meet Blinken, in 2015 took a trip to see Putin and reaffirmed partnership with Russia.But he just recently consulted with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and advised a negotiated end to the conflict based on international law, and Kazakhstan has actually invited tens of thousands of Russians leaving conscription.The month prior to the Ukraine intrusion, Tokayev had hired Russian-led forces to assist regain control after riots however he rapidly asked to leave following public opposition.Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon made waves in October when a video went viral of him providing Putin an unusual public scolding at a local meeting, accusing Russia of disregarding the interests of the Central Asian countries.The United States has seen glimmers of hope on human rights, a longstanding concern in a region traditionally run by authoritarians.Lu pointed to the current conviction in Kazakhstan of policeman implicated of torture throughout in 2015s unrest, as well as Uzbekistans fast abolition of required and child labor in cotton harvests.

Its actually quite amazing.

I dont know that we have seen that sort of rapid progress paralleled anywhere else worldwide, Lu said.Treated as backwater? The Ukraine war is not the first time that a global crisis has thrown a higher spotlight on Central Asia.Uzbekistan initially took a leading role in supporting the U.S.

armed force in its war in Afghanistan, which President Joe Biden ended in 2021.

The last secretary of state to check out, Mike Pompeo, in 2020 pressed Central Asians to suppress ties with Beijing as he highlighted human rights issues in Beijings nearby Xinjiang region.Murtazashvili said the United States had made the error of seeing Central Asia as a backwater connected to other policies and would do much better with a method that values regional leaders autonomy.

These nations are really in a really interesting position to stabilize Russia and China off against one another, and much of them have done this pretty skillfully, she stated.