U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host the leaders of all five Central Asian nations at the White House on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
This strategic move marks the first time a U.S. president has convened a C5+1 summit in Washington.
Officials from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan will participate in the summit.
The summit coincides with the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 diplomatic format.
Earlier, in 2023, US president Joe Biden held a meeting with a similar agenda on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
The summit is scheduled after a string of high-level engagement between Central Asian leaders and Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping earlier this year, signaling a shifting geopolitical tug-of-war over a strategically located region rich in natural resources.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Central Asian leaders have broadened their diplomatic engagement beyond Moscow, which was considered as a dominant power in the region historically.
The landlocked nations that were once part of the Soviet Union have made stronger multilateral ties with the U.S., European Union (EU), and Republic of Türkiye (Turkey) to improve security, trade, and energy ties.
China shares borders with three of the five countries and has already strengthened its position via multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects under its Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI).
The EU has also broadened its diplomatic outreach, seeking new trade routes, and alternatives to Russian energy transit networks.
The significance of Central Asia is due to the world’s most major untapped reserves of natural resources it holds.
Both the U.S. and EU admit the region’s significance as a potential source of rare earths and strategic metals that are necessary for clean energy and most importantly defense technologies.
The improved ties between this region will also serve as a chance to reduce dependence on China.
Despite the region’s abundance of critical minerals, experts warn that the geography remains a major barrier.
The region has deserts and mountain ranges combined with strained relations with neighbors like Iran and Afghanistan, complicating the management of logistics.
New transport corridors through the Caspian Sea, supported by China, and the EU have gained traction. As per the data, freight volumes along the route increased 660% between 2021 and 2024.
The summit highlights US’s determination to maintain relevance in a region where Beijing and Moscow have long held sway.
As reported by one senior U.S. official, “This is not just about diplomacy. It is about securing supply chains, influencing the balance of power, and ensuring the U.S. remains part of Central Asia’s future.”
The summit is expected to make new agreements on critical minerals, infrastructure, and transit security.