Trump to secure key minerals from Central Asia at C5+1 Summit

Central Asian presidents gathered in the United States this week. For the region—and particularly for Uzbekistan—2025 has already become a historic year in relations with Western countries, including the United States. For the first time, the U.S. President hosted Central Asian leaders at the White House under the C5+1 format. The historic meeting was held in honor of the 10th anniversary of the format. Nearly a month ago, two U.S. congressmen had written to Trump, urging him to invite Central Asian presidents to the White House to strengthen regional ties and elevate relations to a new level. Trump did not ignore the request and welcomed the leaders of the five states to Washington. Prior to this, the U.S. envoy for Central Asia, Sergio Gorni—born in Uzbekistan—had visited Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to discuss a range of issues.

As U.S. President, Joe Biden hosted the first summit with Central Asian leaders on September 19, 2023, though that meeting took place against the backdrop of the UN General Assembly session. The recent White House meeting, by contrast, was separately organized rather than timed around another political event, which distinguishes it from prior summits.

The C5+1 format was first established in 2015 as a multilateral platform for U.S. cooperation with the five Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Initially, meetings were held only at the level of foreign ministers, and it took many years for the format to reach the presidential level. Moreover, previous C5+1 meetings had not been as significant for Central Asia as its relationships with the European Union, Germany, Japan, or other major powers. Many observers continue to note that the C5+1 format has rarely held presidential-level meetings in Central Asian countries. By comparison, China, Russia, and other major players have hosted multiple such meetings in the region. For example, the EU held its first meeting under a similar format in Samarkand in April this year.

Nevertheless, there are now clear signs that U.S.-Central Asia relations will not be as distant as before. U.S. officials emphasized this ahead of the White House summit. Trump himself noted that Central Asia holds significant potential that is largely unrecognized. Sergio Gorni also highlighted this point repeatedly. As a result, the United States—the world’s most powerful country and a global hegemon for the past century—has now formally joined the circle of close partners of Central Asian states.

Mirziyoyev and Tokayev at the center stage

On November 6 local U.S. time (November 7 in Uzbekistan), Central Asian leaders visited the White House sequentially. Prior to this, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had already resolved several major agreements. In particular, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed agreements with the U.S. regarding key minerals critical to multiple sectors and industries. During the Kazakh delegation’s visit, Minister of Industry and Construction Ersain Nagaspaev and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lattnik signed a contract on critical minerals.

Mirziyoyev’s agreements were broader in scope. As part of his working visit to Washington, the Uzbek president met with John Jovanovich, head of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the government’s official export credit agency. The bank supports U.S. companies’ foreign economic activities by providing insurance, guarantees, and financing tools. Under a joint program prepared with this institution, prospects were discussed for financing large-scale projects in energy, critical minerals, transport, agriculture, IT, and other priority sectors. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Uzbek government, together with the U.S. Exim Bank, signed agreements to finance joint projects.

In addition, Mirziyoyev met with Ben Black, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which mobilizes private capital to implement infrastructure and industrial projects in developing countries. The discussions highlighted active collaboration and expanding trade and investment relations.

Reports indicate that large joint initiatives are being developed in energy, critical minerals, finance, transport, agriculture, and IT. One tangible outcome of the meeting is the consideration of opening a regional office of the corporation in Tashkent. Meetings with influential U.S. financial institutions such as the Exim Bank and DFC signal that significant U.S. investment and enhanced economic cooperation with Uzbekistan are likely in the coming years.

Mirziyoyev also held talks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lattnik, discussing ways to strengthen strategic partnership, activate trade and investment cooperation, and implement joint projects across various sectors. In recent years, bilateral trade has quadrupled, reaching nearly $1 billion. Over 300 U.S. companies operate successfully in Uzbekistan, contributing to major industrial, agricultural, energy, and innovation projects. Initial contracts were signed to supply soy and cotton from the U.S. to Uzbekistan, as well as to introduce advanced American drip irrigation technologies.

At the conclusion of the Washington visit’s business program, Mirziyoyev met with representatives of leading U.S. companies, investment funds, and financial institutions. Participants included Secretary of Commerce Howard Lattnik, special presidential assistants Ricky Gill and Paolo Zampolli, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Steven Vaden, leaders of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, and senior managers from major corporations such as McKinsey, Meta, Google, Amazon, Boeing, and Air Products. Digital cooperation with Google, Meta, and NVIDIA is expanding, including initiatives to introduce Apple Pay and Google Pay, and to create digital academies and startup hubs. DFC and Exim Bank were involved in supporting these projects. Mirziyoyev emphasized Uzbekistan’s readiness to provide a reliable and successful environment for foreign investors.

Uzbekistan, like Kazakhstan, plans to cooperate with the U.S. on the extraction and deep processing of critical minerals including uranium, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, and graphite. Reliable supply chains and the introduction of advanced American processing technologies are key components of this plan.

What are critical minerals?

Since returning to power, one of Trump’s primary interests has been critical minerals. He has gone to the extent of leveraging Ukraine to secure nearly half a trillion dollars’ worth of rare earth metals, whose exact availability is still uncertain. Earlier this year, a major dispute between Trump and Zelensky arose over Ukraine’s refusal to sign such an agreement. Critical minerals are indispensable in the technological era, akin to water and air. They are rare, highly unstable in supply, and vital for the economy, industry, and technology. In simple terms, they are essential for a country’s development but always pose strategic challenges in extraction and import. Without them, the production of phones, computers, electric vehicles, solar panels, and even military equipment would halt. Alternatives do not exist.

Examples include lithium for electric vehicles and batteries; cobalt for batteries and high-temperature alloys; nickel for stainless steel and batteries; graphite for batteries and electrodes; rare earth elements such as neodymium, dysprosium, and yttrium for magnets, lasers, optics, and military technologies; tungsten for military equipment, cutting tools, and industry; molybdenum for steel strength; vanadium for energy storage and steel alloys; and uranium for nuclear energy. Critical minerals are thus as essential to modern life as water and air.

Uzbekistan has reserves of copper, tungsten, molybdenum, uranium, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements. Exploiting these resources is crucial for the country’s industrial independence and energy security. Mirziyoyev’s U.S. visit directly serves these national interests.

Mirziyoyev and Trump strengthen ties

Relations between Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Donald Trump have recently reached their highest level. The Uzbek president met with Trump twice in two months, an unprecedented frequency in the country’s history. While Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov, was a close partner of the U.S., particularly after the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the current meetings demonstrate a renewed closeness. The ongoing relationship between Mirziyoyev and Trump was highlighted during Mirziyoyev’s November 6 visit to the White House. The president signed the guest book and then held talks in the Oval Office to discuss strategic partnership, political dialogue, and trade, investment, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation. Mirziyoyev congratulated Trump on his domestic and foreign policy successes and commended his efforts to resolve international and regional disputes peacefully. He invited Trump to visit Uzbekistan at a mutually convenient time.

The main C5+1 meeting with Trump took place with leaders seated opposite one another rather than around a round table. The U.S. delegation included Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President James David Vance, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and other officials. The Central Asian side included Mirziyoyev, Tokayev, Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon, Kyrgyzstan’s Sadyr Japarov, Turkmenistan’s Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and foreign ministers from the five countries. Trump opened the session by emphasizing the strategic importance of Central Asia and the high potential of the five states. Regional leaders took turns thanking Trump for his support, including his role in stopping eight wars. A notable moment was when Tokayev spoke and Trump winked at Mirziyoyev, signaling the closeness of their relationship.

In conclusion, Uzbekistan is expected to attract nearly $35 billion in investment over the next three years in sectors including critical minerals, aviation, automotive parts, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, chemistry, IT, and other strategic industries, with total investment exceeding $100 billion over the next decade. Mirziyoyev announced this during the C5+1 meeting, and Trump confirmed it on his social media accounts.

“I am pleased to announce an unprecedented trade and economic agreement between the United States and Uzbekistan. I thank the highly respected President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and look forward to long-term and effective relations between our countries,” Trump stated.

Mirziyoyev proposed holding the next C5+1 meeting in Samarkand, which has already established itself as a political center. Another significant outcome of the White House visit was Kazakhstan’s agreement to join the Abraham Accords. During a meeting with Trump, Tokayev reportedly contacted Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. The Abraham Accords aim to deepen Israel-Uzbekistan cooperation across multiple sectors beyond mere recognition of the Jewish state, a topic that will be examined in further reports.