The world is bigger than Europe. Ukraine should build stronger ties with Central Asia

The world is bigger than Europe. Ukraine should build stronger ties with Central Asia

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 provoked some very real geopolitical soul-searching throughout Central Asian capitals. Up until then, the economies of five of these states remained oriented towards the largest economy in the region – Russia. The C6 (i.e., Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) are taking unprecedented steps to diversify their trade, investment, and labor portfolios,…