Blinken in Central Asia as tensions soar over Ukraine war

By The Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Kazakhstan for a series of meeting with top diplomats of Central Asian nations. Blinken’s visit to Astana and later this week to Uzbek capital Tashkent marks his first trip to Central Asia as secretary of state. It comes just days after the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. None of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia, traditionally viewed as part of the Kremlin’s sphere of influence, publicly backed the attack. However, all five Central Asian republics abstained in a vote to condemn the invasion last week at the U.N. General Assembly. U.S. officials hope that Blinken can convince the Central Asian nations that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a threat to them.