In what could be a November diplomatic surprise, US President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to host the five leaders of Central Asia for a high-stakes summit on November 6.
The plan was revealed not by the White House, which has remained silent, but by the leaders of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, who have confirmed the date and their attendance.
The summit signals a new, more assertive US push into a region long dominated by Russia. That dominance has been severely tested since the invasion of Ukraine.
This has sparked a “scramble for influence,” with China and the EU also holding their own C5 summits earlier this year.
The five nations, rich in minerals and aspiring to be a key trade hub, are now at the center of a new global competition, with Washington making a late but significant play.