US ramps up efforts to support Ukraine, sends officials to Kiev, ex-Soviet states

Delegations, led by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, hold talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on February 28, 2023. (Via Reuters)

United States has ramped up its efforts to support Ukraine, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving in Central Asia in an attempt to distance all five former Soviet republics from Russia, just a day after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s reaffirmed US aid to Kiev.

Blinken's visit to the capitals of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on Tuesday marks his first trip to the region as the Biden administration's top diplomat.

He will meet the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian states, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in Astana on Tuesday before heading to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.

The trip is reportedly aimed to isolate Russia in the region and expand Washington's regional presence. 

“Our main goal is to show that the United States is a reliable partner, and we see the difficulties that these economies are facing — high food prices, high fuel prices, high unemployment, difficulty in exporting their goods, slow post-COVID recovery and a large influx of migrants from Russia," Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia and Central Asia, said at a news briefing on Friday.

In Astana, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Blinken on Tuesday they have "built very good and reliable long-term partnerships in so many strategically important areas like security, energy, trade and investments."

Thousands rally in France, Germany against US-led NATO's involvement in Ukraine war

The US efforts to bolster Ukraine's military amid the raging war also included Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s surprise visit on Monday to the Ukrainian capital in a show of American solidarity with Kiev amid accusations of government corruption.

During her visit, Yellen announced the transfer of $1.25 billion in economic and budget aid to the embattled government in Ukraine.

It is the first installment of nearly $10 billion that Washington is providing Kiev this year as part of a $45 billion aid package approved by the US Congress in December.

The visit saw Yellen meet with top Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky. She reaffirmed her country's unwavering support for Ukraine, saying “America will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Russia launched what it calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022, with the US-led NATO's eastward expansion blamed for the war.

It views the alliance’s efforts to make Ukraine a member and to deploy missiles close to its borders as a direct threat to Russian territory.