White House meeting discussed supply chains and includes Uzbek pledge to invest $100 billion in the US
The president (Republican Party) declared on Thursday (6.Nov.2025) that critical minerals are a priority for the United States. He received at the White House the leaders of 5 Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — in a meeting focused on strengthening supply chains and economic agreements.
According to Trump, the region is “extremely rich” in natural resources and strategy at a time when the US seeks to diversify its sources of minerals used in energy, defense and technology. “One of the main points on our agenda is critical minerals”said the president. “In recent weeks, my administration has strengthened America’s economic security by reaching agreements with allies and partners around the world to expand our supply chains for critical minerals.”. The information is from .
The dispute over access to Central Asia’s uranium, copper, gold and rare earth reserves has intensified in recent years. The 5 countries maintain economic ties with Russia and have received increasing investment from China. Washington is trying to expand its presence with government and commercial agreements that ensure the continuous supply of these materials.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that the meeting represents “the beginning of a new era of interaction between the United States and Central Asia”. On that occasion, the Kazakh country joined the Abraham Accords, which bring Israel closer to Muslim-majority nations.
The president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, called Trump a “president of the world” and proposed the creation of a permanent secretariat for the group in the region. Later, Trump published in Truth Social that Uzbekistan intends to invest and purchase more than $100 billion over the next decade in North American sectors linked to critical minerals, automotive parts and aviation.
The meeting is part of the C5+1 format, created in 2015 for cooperation between the US and Central Asian countries in economics, energy and security. Among the announcements made was an agreement for Boeing to sell up to 37 planes to airlines in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A partnership was also announced for the North American company Cove Capital to explore tungsten in Kazakhstan, with government financing.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan together produce just over half of the uranium mined in the world. Kazakhstan alone was responsible for almost 40% of global production in 2024. Diversification is considered urgent by Washington because about 20% of uranium imported by the US comes from Russia.
BRAZIL IS ALSO ON THE US RADAR
On October 15, the Minister of Mines and Energy, , said he was to meet with the United States Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, to discuss critical minerals.
Brazil stands out as one of the countries with the production of rare earths – a group of 17 chemical elements essential for advanced technologies, such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, smartphones and military equipment.
It is estimated that the country concentrates around 23% of the known reserves of these minerals in the world, although national production is still incipient, according to the Geological Survey of Brazil.
Silveira did not confirm the date on which the meeting will take place.
