Trump to Invite Central Asian Nations to G20 Miami Summit/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump announced plans to invite Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami. Neither nation is a G20 member, but Trump aims to strengthen U.S. ties with resource-rich Central Asia. The outreach reflects the administration’s strategic focus on minerals, energy, and geopolitical realignment.
G20 Invitations Quick Look
- Trump plans to invite Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the 2026 G20 summit
- Summit to be held at Trump National Doral near Miami, Florida
- Both countries are non-G20 members
- Phone calls held with Presidents Tokayev and Mirziyoyev
- Trump calls U.S. relationships with both nations “spectacular”
- Central Asia’s mineral wealth cited as a strategic focus
- Abraham Accords expanded to include Kazakhstan
- South Africa barred from attending 2026 summit
Deep Look
Trump Expands G20 Participation with Central Asian Focus
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will receive formal invitations to participate in the 2026 G20 summit, which will be hosted in the United States at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida. The announcement followed separate phone conversations Trump held with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, during which he praised America’s growing ties with the two Central Asian nations.
Although neither Kazakhstan nor Uzbekistan are G20 members, the host nation has the prerogative to invite non-member nations to participate as guests, often to reflect key foreign policy priorities or economic interests. In this case, Trump’s outreach appears to be a deliberate move to strengthen U.S. influence in Central Asia, a region rich in critical minerals and energy reserves.
“The relationship with both Countries is spectacular,” Trump said in a social media post from Mar-a-Lago, where he is spending the holidays.
Minerals, Geopolitics Drive Renewed Focus on Central Asia
The strategic importance of Central Asia has grown significantly in recent years, especially as the U.S. seeks to diversify its supply chains for rare earth elements and minerals vital to modern technology. The region produces nearly half of the world’s uranium and hosts vast untapped reserves of critical minerals used in smartphones, electric vehicles, satellites, and defense systems.
Historically, mineral exports from Central Asian countries have been dominated by China and Russia, making Trump’s efforts a clear pivot aimed at loosening that grip and forging closer commercial and diplomatic ties with U.S.-friendly governments.
High-Level Engagement in Washington
The invitation follows a recent high-profile summit in Washington, where Trump hosted the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. That meeting focused on economic partnerships, regional security, and energy cooperation, and it signaled a broader U.S. commitment to deeper engagement in a region long overlooked in American foreign policy.
Kazakhstan Joins Abraham Accords
During that visit, President Tokayev made headlines by announcing that Kazakhstan would join the Abraham Accords, the Trump-era diplomatic initiative aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations. Kazakhstan becomes the first Central Asian country to do so, offering a symbolic but significant boost to Trump’s foreign policy legacy.
The Accords were previously signed by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco during Trump’s first term. Kazakhstan’s move reflects a diplomatic shift and could open new pathways for trade and regional stability.
South Africa Barred from 2026 G20 Summit
While inviting new nations, Trump also excluded South Africa from participating in next year’s summit. He said the decision stemmed from the country’s alleged mistreatment of a U.S. government representative at the 2025 summit, which South Africa hosted.
Trump’s criticism of South Africa extended to what he described as violent persecution of white Afrikaners, a controversial claim that South African officials have strongly denied, calling it baseless and inflammatory. The Trump administration also announced it would halt all payments and subsidies to the nation as part of the decision.
Trump declined to send an official U.S. government delegation to this year’s G20 gathering in South Africa, an unprecedented move that drew sharp criticism from American allies.
G20 2026: Set for Trump’s Doral Club
The 2026 G20 summit will be held at Trump National Doral, a sprawling golf resort owned by the Trump Organization, located just outside Miami. This will be the first time the global summit is held at a privately owned venue tied to a sitting president, raising questions from ethics watchdogs.
Still, Trump has said that the choice of Doral reflects security, logistics, and accommodation benefits, and the administration has maintained that it would be conducted in compliance with legal protocols.
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