Trump Courts Central Asia With $20 Billion in Deals and Diplomatic Overtures

US President Donald Trump unveiled a slew of trade, diplomatic, and mineral deals as he hosted Central Asia’s five leaders for a summit and dinner meant to shore up Washington's influence in the region. Flanked by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at a long table at the White House, Trump said that he was committed to making US relations with Central Asia "stronger than ever" as the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan hailed a new era of ties. “Sadly, previous American…